Dragon Ball AG: Saga 6 - The Warrior's Path
by Connor J. Nagi
Summary: NEW CHAPTERS COMING BI-WEEKLY / PART 6 / The Next Saga Begins! Noca has finally attained Super Saiyan 2 control and beaten the man who had a strong hand in killing his family, but all that he's been left with is another name. Kuyato. What will Noca do with this new information and where will it take him in life?
1. Arc I: Regretful Day

_Yo! I'm back with a new story and a new chapter! I'm looking forward to getting this story out to you and I'm still deep in the writing process right now, but it's coming along fantastically. Sorry it's been so long, but I've just been really busy. Moved out of my uni flat into a new house and started my second year, but enough of that...LET'S GET ON WITH DRAGON BALL AG!_

* * *

 _ **Last Time on DragonBall AG**_

We experienced a whole host of interesting events. From the official start of Noca's and Pan's relationship, to the revenge of a certain angry wizard and his henchmen. That led to the reveal of Noca's father and then his untimely demise. But luckily, Dazir fell that day as well. This also led to the making of a brand new friend, Dom. Then, well, then we experienced a big conflict between three alien invaders looking to destroy Noca and the other Saiyans. One of these Saiyans was none other than Noca's uncle, also Vegeta's cousin. His name, Vernege. This battle ended with Vernege's death, at the hands of Noca. Now…we pick up shortly after Goten and Valese said their vows and became a happily married couple. Let's drop in and see how Noca's doing. Enjoy!

* * *

 _ **Arc I: One Uneventful Year**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1: Regretful Day**_

 _Thursday 1_ _st_ _August Age 793_

Some time had passed since the invasion of the Demon powered Warriors. Things seemed to be going slow. It was only just the beginning of the Summer holidays and the weather was perfect at this time. You would have been forgiven for believing everything was perfect right now. The problem with that, you would, in fact, be wrong.

They wouldn't stop. It had taken time for them to even start, but at this point in time. The flashes wouldn't stop. Noca would be sleeping, comfortably, happily, but then he would shoot wide away, drenched in sweat and the only thing on his mind would be that image of the bloodied and beaten corpse of Vernege. The Teen Saiyan couldn't explain where any of this had come from, but he sure as hell wanted it to stop. These visions, or whatever, were severely taking a toll of his life. He was losing far too much sleep and had no idea what any of it meant. Noca had no regrets about what he did, but still the visions came.

This particular night, Noca decided to get out of bed and do something to take his mind off of the image plaguing his mind. He checked the clock on his bed-side table. _**"3:15. It's too early,"**_ he thought to himself as he stood up and moved to his door. Before opening it he listened through to see if anyone was awake. Luckily, it seemed as if he was. He pushed the door open slowly and quietly made his way down the hall and down the stairs.

He entered the kitchen and walked to the fridge. It was far to warm right now and he needed a nice cold drink to refresh himself and relax. He grabbed a carton of juice and then a glass from the cupboard. The teen poured a glass of orange juice and started to sip at it. Boy was it refreshing though. This weather was nice at times, but the warm nights were very hard to put up with sometimes. Noca turned around and leant against the counter. He sighed as he brought the glass back to his lips and took another sip of that ice cold drink. He tried to think over what was in his head, but that wasn't help him in any way. He needed to get the thoughts of Vernege and what had happened away from his mind. It was over and there was nothing Noca could do to take it back, even if he wanted to.

Noca turned around to pour himself another glass of juice, but as he started to pour there was another flash in his mind and this time it was accompanied by a voice. In a very low whisper, all the voice said was, _ **"Kuyato."**_ Noca took a moment to compose himself because that one had definitely surprised him. Noca didn't recognise the voice, but it certainly frightened him. But, why did it frighten him? Noca continued to ponder it while sitting there with a carton of juice in one hand and a glass in the other. The teen was brought of this trance by yet another hushed voice, only this time it belonged to a female and was saying his name.

" **Noca?"**

Noca turned around, caught completely off-guard and almost dropped both glass and carton. Luckily he managed to tighten his grip. Maybe a little too tight as the glass cracked and the carton crunched up a little. He breathed a sigh of relief and looked up to see Pan standing there, wearing a rather large top. Something she had decided to wear to bed, no doubt. Noca was surprised to see her awake at this time, but then again, so was he. Either way, he had to ask.

" **Why are you up at this time?"** The boy asked his concerned girlfriend. She slowly started to walk towards him. The look on her face told Noca that she was worried.

" **I needed to know why you were awake,"** Pan started, **"I could feel something wrong with your emotions and had to come check it out. Are you ok?"** She placed her hand on his arm as a sign on comfort and all Noca did was look down into her caring eyes. He didn't know what to tell her though. He didn't want to bring this topic to her attention and believed it would all just blow over. He decided not to let her worry anymore.

" **It was nothing…just…"** Noca stalled and this made Pan worry a little more. He noticed he had paused for a bit too long and quickly finished, **"Something stupid on my mind, it's nothing, I should go to bed."** Noca's statement was rushed and felt rather panicked. He placed the carton in the fridge, the glass in the sink and then walked past Pan and headed back upstairs without saying another word. Pan was left standing there to think on what had happened and it certainly didn't feel right. She'd check on him again in the morning.

* * *

By the time Noca managed to get back to sleep he was only granted about half an hour before his eyes were wide open again. Not due to any troubling visions this time, but it was down to the cries of a certain Quarter-Saiyan child. No, not Pan. Of course, the Saiyan I refer to, is Rei.

Noca sat up in his bed and looked dead ahead at his door. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head. The teen felt really rough and those cries weren't doing him any favours, although he couldn't really get mad about that. Rei was only a baby after all. There was nothing else to do now. The time was 7:30 so Noca thought it best to get out of bed have a shower. Perhaps that would do him some good. Something had to work.

The teen turned the shower on and he stepped in and let the hot water wash over his body. He closed his eyes and decided to just stand there for a second. He had to think over what this stupid vision must mean. Vernege's face just wouldn't stop popping into his head whenever he gained some peace and quiet. It was making everything so difficult and Noca could feel so much frustration bubbling up inside of him. He knew if he couldn't find away to control this then his anger was going to come out in a way that he couldn't control and that may affect the people around. He didn't want that to happen to anyone. Especially Pan. He still didn't know what came over him earlier when he decided to dodge Pan's concerns and keep to himself. That was stupid of him and it will only lead to her having more worries. He just needed this to blow over.

Noca soon decided he had spent enough time under the spray of the shower. He washed up and then stepped out, grabbing his towel and entering his room once more. Rei's crying had stopped and Noca felt like he had a clearer head than before. He breathed a sigh of relief and gingerly sat down on his bed. The teen ran over a list of things that he could do for the day, but nothing stood out. Surely Pan would have some plans for him, but after last night Noca just felt that space was needed. It wouldn't be easy to convince his girlfriend to give him that though.

He decided not to ponder that fact anymore and quickly dried off and got dressed. No matter how he was feeling, he still needed to eat. Once ready Noca exited the bedroom and made his way downstairs, but as he approached the bottom he started to thing about the atmosphere at breakfast. Things hadn't been the same since Noca made the decision to end Vernege's life and Gohan seemed to very strongly disagree with Noca's choice. He had voiced that opinion many times and it had almost led to arguments between the two. Eventually those arguments stopped, but Gohan's opinion never changed. This all made Noca very anxious before entering the kitchen every morning.

Once he finally found his courage to tackle the situation he walked in and saw that Gohan was sitting at the table feeding his baby boy while Videl was watching with a wide smile on her face. They both noticed Noca enter, but only one person looked up. The soothing voice of Videl was the only one to greet him.

" **Good Morning, Noca,"** She said cheerfully, the wide smile on her face not going anywhere. **"Did you sleep well?"**

Noca could've told her the truth, but that would probably raise some concerns for the Mother of two. It could also just give Gohan some more ammunition to use in their argument. **"I slept ok,"** he lied.

Videl noticed that her husband hadn't diverted his attention away from the baby boy, nor did he even acknowledge Noca's existence and this was really starting to get to her. She breathed a stressed sigh of relief that didn't go unnoticed by Noca. She looked down to the table and the teen knew that something needed to change and perhaps he could be the one to make that change.

He turned to face Gohan and opened his mouth to say something. Videl noticed the movement and looked up expectantly, but all she saw was Noca stop, close his mouth and turn away. He then sat down at the table and the Mother noticed the disappointed and nervous look on the teen's face. She knew it must be hard for him to be in this situation. Sure, she didn't agree with Noca's choice, but if he felt it was the right move to give him the closure he believed was needed, then she didn't have any quarrels.

" **I suppose you want something to eat?"** Videl asked, standing up and walking towards the fridge. Noca wished he could say yes, but the truth was his appetite had vanished the moment he walked downstairs. He hated to turn her down, but he just wasn't feeling it.

" **Sorry, Videl. I guess I'm not that hungry,"** He informed her. His tone was low and there was certainly something wrong with his feelings right now. A Mother knew these things. She sat down next to the teen and placed her hand on his.

" **Is everything ok?"** She asked, sweetly. Noca looked up and her took a deep breath and stood up.

" **Sorry,"** Noca said, putting a hand to his forehead. **"I just need some air."** Noca turned away and walked towards the back door, which was luckily open, and he just walked away towards the small wooded area behind them. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew that if he continued this way for about half and hour then he would eventually end up at the nearest town. He didn't aim to go that far, he only needed a minute to himself.

Videl watched the boy disappear beyond the trees and then turned to her Husband, a furious look upon her face. **"What is the matter with you?"** She asked in a very sinister tone. Gohan looked up from his Son and stared into his Wife's eyes. He was in no way surprised by her reaction, but he aimed to stand firm on what he believed in. **"I have had enough of this,"** Videl followed up, turning her back on Gohan and walking to the counter. All she did was lean on it and look down.

" **What am I supposed to do?"** Gohan asked, **"He isn't going to listen to my arguments about why what he did was wrong."**

Videl shook her head and turned around to face her husband again. **"You're not supposed to make him agree with everything you believe in, Gohan."** Videl was certainly in a bad mood and Gohan knew not to say anything back until she was done. **"You should just move on from this, I'm sure that's all Noca wants. He doesn't want you to agree with him, he just wants you to accept it."**

" **But if I just roll over and accept it then that's the same as agreeing with him,"** Gohan said, raising his voice and standing up out of his seat. Surprisingly, Rei didn't react to any of this, but there was someone at the stairs listening. Gohan sighed and sat down again. Videl turned away once more and stared out of the window. She saw Noca wandering amongst the trees looking lost and she felt for him.

" **You don't think he finds this hard?"** Videl said softly. Gohan looked up and her and thought about what she was saying. **"You don't think that deep down in there he regrets what he did?"** She turned around again and looked at her husband and for some reason she had tears in her eyes. Gohan didn't have a response to that.

" **Just settle it. That's all I'm asking,"** Videl started. Gohan could finally see that Videl couldn't put up with the negativity in her house anymore. **"We don't have to agree with everything he does, but we can't push him way for it. We need to show that we support him and we accept that he can make his own choices."**

Gohan turned away again and looked at Rei. Something then crossed his mind and if he had taken any time to think about it then maybe he wouldn't have said it, but in the heat of the moment he couldn't stop himself.

" **Noca's not our son, I don't have to support anything he does."**

That statement caused find to gasp and put a hand over her mouth. She was surprised and angered at hearing those words come from Gohan's mouth. She walked away from the counter and towards the back door. Gohan had nothing else to say, but he must've felt like he had crossed some sort of line there. Videl walked outside and made her way towards Noca. She wasn't angry with him, but she needed to be strict and show that she was the authority figure in his life. She knew Noca respected her and he would hopefully listen and accept what she had to say.

Noca noticed the woman coming his way and decided to step away from the trees and not be rude by making Videl walk in there. He saw that she looked angry, but Noca wasn't sure why. She walked right up to him and her look started to soften. She looked into Noca's eyes and saw that they were really red and he looked exhausted. Everything just left her mind and it was now filled with concern for the teen.

" **Why haven't you been sleeping?"** She questioned, in a motherly tone. Noca sighed and turned his head away, but Videl was persistent. **"Tell me, now."** The teen turned back and and sighed.

" **There's just been something on my mind recently…it's nothing really,"** Noca shook his head and turned away.

" **Don't you turn away from me, tell me what's wrong."**

Noca remained in that position and thought for a second. He was trying to think of what good could actually come from revealing the truth to her. Noca knew it would just help fuel Gohan's point. But…he wasn't talking to Gohan. This was just he and Videl. Alone. She would listen to him. She would help him. Noca turned around and faced her again.

" **I keep…"** Noca started and suddenly found himself falling silent. He didn't want to say it. Videl gave him a soft look as if to say 'go on' but Noca didn't want to say anymore. **"I'm sorry Videl…I can't."**

Noca turned towards the house again and walked away from the Mother, leaving her there to think to herself what might be wrong with Noca at the moment. Noca entered the house and stalled before exiting the room. He needed to say something, but he bottled it at the last minute. He instead continued towards the stairs and stalled when he noticed Pan sitting there. She opened her mouth to say something, but Noca quickly rushed off upstairs. She turned to watch him walk away and wondered what was going on.

Noca entered his room and immediately closed the door behind him. He really couldn't be bothered interacting with anyone anymore today and it was still early. The teen approached his bed, turned around and dropped back onto it. He grabbed his pillow and placed it over his face, just wanting to hide away from the World. Sure, it made it a little hard to breathe, but he could handle it. Soon enough Noca could feel an energy approaching his room. It was Pan. Noca wasn't sure he was ready to have a conversation with her just yet, so he remained in the same position. That didn't stop Pan from knocking and entering though.

Noca didn't say anything to protest, but he could sense that Pan stopped immediately upon seeing him. He didn't move so Pan decided to take a couple of steps towards him. She felt that he always felt better in her company, but right now she wanted to know what was bothering him so she could truly help him figure it out.

" **Noca?"** She muttered in a questioning tone. She didn't get a response. **"Noca, what's been going on with you?"** She asked. Pan was a lot firmer with her question now. Noca took a deep breath and sat up, removing the pillow from his face.

" **Can't I just have some alone time without people asking what's wrong with me?"** Noca snapped back at her. This was surprising to say the least. There was definitely a very angered tone in Noca's voice then and Pan was taken aback by it. She didn't know what to say.

" **Noca…I…"**

Noca stood up and walked over to his dresser. **"I can't handle all these questions constantly coming my way. It's…it's frustrating."** Noca didn't even look at Pan. She could see that he wasn't just angry, but he was upset about something. The girl wanted nothing more that for her boyfriend to be happy and she wanted to press further, but after that reaction, she wasn't sure he would listen to any questions.

" **I didn't want to annoy you…I just…"**

" **Just what?"** Noca cut her off, he turned and looked at her and Pan had to admit that he hadn't seen him like this. Especially towards her. Pan stepped back and felt intimidated. Noca started to breathe heavily and felt like something was seriously wrong. He looked up at the mirror and then there was a sudden flash of Vernege's face. It was staring at him, covered in blood and those eyes were just as lifeless and Noca remembered. It felt so real. So real that Noca reacted in a violent way. He clenched his fist and fired it against the mirror, smashing the whole thing. Pan jumped in shock and backed against the wall as Noca walked past her in a huff. She noticed something and tried to speak up, but it just didn't want to come out. Instead she just made a slight stutter and Noca noticed. He stopped, turned and glared at her.

" **What?"** He asked, there was almost a kind of ferocity in his tone and it frightened Pan. She was trembling and shaking and something inside Noca was telling him to open his eyes and notice what was happening, but he didn't.

" **I…I…Just wanted to say…Your hand…it's bleeding…"** Pan stammered, still frightened by her boyfriend in this moment. Noca stopped and looked at his hand and saw the blood dripping from his knuckles. He then looked up to Pan and finally saw how she was acting and his entire demeanour changed. It was his turn as he tried to find the right words to say, but nothing came. He turned away and continued out of his room leaving Pan there in silence.

The girl didn't know what to do and fought to hold back the tears that were coming to her eyes. Not only had that been a new situation with Noca, but it terrified her. She walked over to the broken glass on the floor and notice blood on some of it. She turned towards the door hoping that Noca would come back, but that wasn't so. She sat down on his bed and decided that she would wait for him to come back, but she couldn't know how long that may take. With how she was feeling, she decided she couldn't be alone. Pan grabbed her phone and decided to call Bra over. Maybe her best friend could help her get over this?

Meanwhile, Noca hadn't just decided to leave his room, but he left the house. He flew off to find somewhere to spend some alone time, if that was even possible. The teen didn't want any distractions while he thought over the situation.

He finally landed somewhere he assumed was isolated enough for him and just dropped to his knees on the ground. He kept his eyes towards the dirt and clenched his fists hard. With the bloodied one he started to pound at the dirt with all his might and each time he did he felt his anger swelling and rising. He wasn't sure where all this rage was coming from, but he knew it wasn't doing him any good. His pounding off the ground was getting faster and harder and his rage was ever growing. He eventually stopped stood up and screamed out with all his might. His energy flared up around him and he jumped straight to Super Saiyan 2.

His screaming stopped, but he continued to look up into the sky. He was angry at someone and he needed to express that anger. **"Why do you continue to torment me?! YOU'RE DEAD!"** Noca's screams echoed through the valley and you could feel the rage pulsating through the yell. The teen stopped and collapsed to his knees again. His power dropped and he was once again in his base form.

Something was seriously wrong at the moment and Noca needed to sort through it. He crossed his legs and sat on the ground. He closed his eyes and tried to tackle his emotions and thoughts. This situation would be fixed, and it would be fixed now.

* * *

Time passed, lots of time, but Noca couldn't put a number on exactly how much. He wasn't focussing on that. The main focus right now was getting these visions in his head figured out and trying to interpret exactly how he felt about everything going on in his life. Was it maybe because of Gohan's opinion? Was that why Noca was feeling as if what he did was wrong? Gohan was strongly against Vernege's murder, but Noca had felt that he did the right thing. The thing that was best for the universe, nay, the galaxy.

Something Noca had remained oblivious to, aside from the time, was the fact that his energy had been violently fluctuating the entire time he was alone. This had drawn the attentions of many fighters, at least the ones with the ability to sense energy, but no one had come to check on him.

Until Now.

A pair of white boots set down on the dirt and started to move towards Noca. The teen felt the approach of a very strong power level and due to how riled up he was getting during this mediation he reacted instinctively. Noca leapt up towards the figure and fired his fist towards the opponents face, but found his fist easily caught in the person's hand. Noca finally calmed himself and realised it wasn't an enemy approaching him. It was Vegeta.

" **What is going on with you, boy?"** Vegeta asked in his usually stern and frustrated tone. He released Noca's fist and the teen dropped back to the ground and continued to relax himself. Vegeta folded his arms and stared down at the boy. Noca took a deep breath and stood up again.

" **I've just had a lot going on recently…"** Noca said, trying to avoid eye-contact with the Saiyan Prince. Vegeta didn't like the vague answer and pressed further.

" **Just tell me whatever's wrong with you so I can go home and forget about it** ," Vegeta barked in a strict and annoyed tone. He didn't want to feel as if he wasted his time coming to check on the boy if he was just having a tantrum over something ridiculous. Noca stalled on a response and Vegeta was beginning to lose interest and started to turn away, but Noca spoke quickly to keep his attention.

" **It's about Vernege."**

Vegeta stopped. He didn't turn back to face Noca, but he wasn't going anywhere any time soon. Maybe this did have a bit more seriousness to it than he had previously thought. He wasn't expecting this conversation to ever come up. Noca had killed Vernege with such ferocity and focus that it didn't seem to faze him in the slightest, but Vegeta was prepared for this moment, just in case.

The Prince turned around slowly looked Noca in the eye. **"What is it?"**

Noca took another deep breath and thought about how he should start. His feelings on the matter? The visions? Gohan's Opinion?

" **I don't know if what I did was the right thing,"** Noca started, looking to the ground.

Vegeta was very quick to respond. **"If was your choice and you made it. You need to stand by it even if…"** The Prince stopped and looked to the side, **"Even if you regret it."**

Noca looked up at the sound of those final words and he had a lot of questions to ask Vegeta now. It sounded as if that had come from a very real place and maybe Vegeta had experienced that himself. But really? Prince Vegeta…experiencing regret over murdering someone? The Saiyan that worked in the Cold Empire and killed for a career? That couldn't be true.

" **Is there anything you regret?"** Noca asked, managing to gain the confidence to ask the Prince a question he was sure would get brushed off without a second thought. Vegeta turned back to face Noca and smirked.

" **Sometimes."**

Noca didn't think to press any further with that. Everyone has regrets and surely Vegeta understands he's killed innocent people in his time. Maybe if it weren't for the Era he was born in then things would have been different for the Prince. Losing one's home planet at such a young age wasn't going to be a good thing for any child. Noca decided there was no longer a need to bring up his other points. Just that little bit of discussion seemed to do Noca a bit of help. If someone like Vegeta could have spent so much of his life with some of those thoughts in his head, then Noca would find a way to deal with it. Vernege deserved what he got and Noca accepted that, but now it was just a matter of accepting whether he was right to have been the killer.

" **Thanks, Vegeta. That helped,"** Noca told the Prince. He turned his back on Vegeta and took off to fly back towards the house. Maybe he was just being stupid, but now he needed to let Gohan know about his conversation with Vegeta and his new thoughts on the matter and maybe things would settle between the two. Unless Gohan remained adamant that Noca was wrong.

* * *

Back at the house, Pan was with Bra sitting in the kitchen and talking to her. They made sure to avoid any topics about Noca in this moment. Pan just wanted to have a conversation with her best friend and not think about what was troubling Noca. She couldn't say she was happy with him right now, but she couldn't deny that she obviously cared a great deal. There wasn't much she could do when he wouldn't tell her what the problem was.

Occasionally Bra would notice Pan drifting off and starting to think about when Noca will walk back in, but that just wasn't happening anytime soon. He energy had been playing up for a bit, but it seemed to have calmed now. So maybe he was on his way back?

" **Hey, Pan, you in there?"** Bra snapped her fingers in front of the Raven-Haired girl's eyes and Pan came back to reality.

" **Yeah, sorry, what were you saying?"** Pan had clearly not been paying any attention. Bra sighed and shook her head.

She put an assuring hand on the girl's shoulder and smiled at her. **"He'll be fine, Pan."**

Pan smiled at her weakly and looked down and the table. Bra could tell she wasn't really in the mood to have a conversation, but she just wanted the company in this moment. The mood in the entire household seemed off. Videl was in the living room with Rei, the girls were talking in the kitchen and Gohan was in his office. This wasn't something that Bra was used to and it worried her, but at least she knew Pan was happier with her here.

Bra thought the atmosphere couldn't be good for Pan and did try suggesting that she come stay at Capsule Corp. with her, but Pan was adamant Noca would come home and they would sort things out. The Blue-Haired teen couldn't change her mind so she wasn't about to make loads of attempts to do so.

It seemed to pay-off though, as Noca finally walked in through the door. Too Bra's surprise, Pan didn't even move. She looked up at him through the doorway, but straight back down to the table. She wasn't sure Noca wanted to speak to her. Bra looked from Pan and then through the doorway and saw that Noca's expression was rather neutral. Noca then turned immediately to the left, where Gohan's office was, and pushed the door open.

He didn't do it softly though. In fact, there was some force in it. This caused both Pan and Bra to stand up and walk down the hall and even Videl had exited the living room to see what was going to happen. Noca walked in and stood at the edge of the room. Gohan turned around in his chair and was going to say something, but Noca spoke first. And confidently so.

" **You need to understand that I am entitled to make my own decisions,"** Noca started, sounding rehearsed. Gohan attempted to interject, but Noca continued, **"No matter how hard they are."**

" **Even if it involves killing?"** Gohan questioned in response. Noca took in a deep breath through the nose, showing his growing frustration.

" **No matter how hard they are,"** He repeated, making sure to make himself clear. The only problem was that this time he came off a bit patronising. Gohan stood up now.

" **But killing is the hardest of all decisions,"** Gohan started, appearing very confident and strict, **"It's not something that should ever be taken lightly."**

" **You don't think I know that?"** Noca snapped back. He was getting rather annoyed with Gohan, "I made the decision completely on impulse." Noca looked down to the ground and took another deep breath, and when he spoke again it was with a lot of ferocity, **"I just wanted to see him dead…so I made it happen."**

No one had a response for that.

" **If you can't deal with it then it's your problem,"** Noca continued, **"I'm not your son, so stop treating me like it."** There was a lot of anger in that line. Gohan seemed almost shocked by it, but if he was then he managed to disguise it quite well. He was ready for a line of his own.

" **If you aren't prepared to listen to what I have to say then why are you still in my house?"** Gohan bit back, shocking the three females. Videl made an audible gasp, as did Pan. They were about to protest, but Noca managed to distract them. How? By laughing.

It wasn't full on laughter, but there was definitely a small chuckle there. Noca looked to the ground and then back up at the Demi-Saiyan.

" **You're right."**

With that, the teen turned around and walked past the girls, heading straight upstairs. Pan, Videl and Bra all rushed to follow him, but were unsure of what he was doing.

The boy burst into his bedroom, almost flinging the door off its hinges and went straight for his cupboard. Videl enquired as to what he was doing, but Noca didn't answer. Instead he threw a tatty old bag onto his bed and started to grab some things. There weren't many things. In fact, it looked as if he was leaving everything that had been given to him since he moved into his house. That was when it hit Pan.

" **You can't leave,"** Pan protested, standing in Noca's way as he attempted to leave the room. Noca stopped, didn't say anything and didn't even look at her. Pan stood strong, but she saw his face and for some reason, some unknown reason, she just stepped aside. Noca walked past and continued down the stairs. Gohan was now standing in the doorway of his office and watched as Noca walked up the the front door and opened it. The look on the Demi-Saiyan's face said that he had been slightly over the line, but he didn't want to say that.

Noca looked over to him and smirked. **"When it came to things like school and my decision to fight, you said it was my choice."** The teen had certainly got the Father there. Gohan looked down and Noca looked out of the house once more. **"But when I kill a man because of all the terrible sins he has committed…I'm in the wrong?"** Noca turned to face Gohan one last time. **"And I should listen to you?"**

Gohan looked up as Noca smirked and stepped out of the house, but didn't go off anywhere just yet.

" **Make your mind up Gohan. What do you want from me?"**

Gohan had nothing to say. He just didn't know what he could say. Neither did anyone else to be honest. They just stood and watched the whole scenario unfold. Pan had tears coming to her eyes once more, but didn't know what to do. She ran past her father and threw her arms around him. Noca didn't turn around to face her and even acknowledge the hug. He himself had so many emotions bubbling up inside him, but he couldn't show weakness now. Gohan would cave.

" **What do you want from him, Dad?!"** Pan yelled at her father. Noca was shocked by that outburst. He certainly hadn't expected Pan to get involved. She had now let go of her boyfriend and was glaring in her Father's direction. Gohan and Videl were both taken off-guard by Pan's outburst.

" **Pan,"** Noca spoke softly, looking over his shoulder, but still not looking at her. The girl stopped and turned, tears streaming down her face. Noca shook his head and started to walk away. **"I can't stay here if I'm not wanted…Pan, I'll always Love you and be there for you. I will always care about all of you, but I won't stay if I can't be accepted as a real person."**

And thus he continued to walk away. Pan standing there not knowing how to feel. Noca was leaving their home, but…not their lives? Gohan watched as the boy started to lift off the ground and he started to think to himself. _**"Where's he gonna go? He…he needs to stay…"**_

" **Wait!"**

Noca stopped and turned around, descending to the ground in the process. Gohan had walked forwards now and he was looking rather disappointed.

" **You're far too grown up for how young you truly are,"** Gohan started, shaking his head. **"You're right."**

Noca cocked his head to the side a little and even the others were surprised at Gohan's sudden change. **"I'm contracting myself and I know it's not good. I just want what's best for…"** The man stopped, knowing that what he was about to say wasn't right, **"I just wanted what I thought was best for you."**

Noca was listening now. Gohan was being completely reasonable and truthful now.

" **But you're right. I need to let you make your own decisions. I'm not your Father and I shouldn't try to be…"** Gohan finished and turned away, but not before saying one last thing. **"I'm sorry."**

Noca didn't know what to say, but he smiled to himself and looked down at the ground. Gohan went back into the house and Videl followed him. Noca let go of his bag and let it drop the ground and as he did Pan rushed back over to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. Noca slowly and gently places a hand on her back, but he then slowly and softly pushes her off of him. He picks the bag up and heads back up to his room. He closes the door behind him, leaving the girls looking up the stairs.

Pan is very confused and looks to Bra for guidance. Bra signals for them to head upstairs and see what the problem was. The two of them rush up there and knock on his door. They immediately enter and see that Noca is standing at the foot of his bed facing away from them. Pan slowly edges in and walks around to see that he is just staring down at his hand.

" **What's wrong?"** Pan asks, hoping that he doesn't bite her head this time. Noca doesn't avert his gaze, but does inhale as if about to speak.

" **This is the hand that killed Vernege…at first I wasn't bothered by it, but now I'm overwhelmed by what I've done,"** Noca had a very questioning look written on his face, but Pan didn't really know what to say to help him in this situation, but at least he was opening up. He closed his hand and turned to face the girl. **"It won't be easy to get over, but I'll do it. After all, he deserved it."**

Pan slowly inched in closer to him and wrapped her hands around his torso. Noca slowly raised his hands to her back and then tightened the embrace. Right now, he needed this connection and he knew that Pan sorely need it too. He released the grip a little and looked into her eyes.

" **I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier,"** Noca said softly. Pan just smiled and shook her head. She quickly pulled up to his face and planted a quick kiss on his lips.

" **That's ok,"** she said back to him sweetly. When she finally released her grip Noca told the girls that he really needed to get some sleep and asked if he could be left alone. The girls accepted and left him. Noca didn't even undress, he just dropped straight onto his bed and almost fell asleep instantly. After getting all that stuff off of his chest he now felt far more relaxed. Maybe he could actually get some decent sleep now.

* * *

 _So, good chapter? Bad chapter? Ok chapter? Let me know your opinions in a lovely review. I know you all missed me, but don't worry. Weekly releases are back!_

 _Next Time...Chapter 2: Summer Holidays_


	2. Arc I: Summer Holidays

_Yo. So, I didn't get the immediate response I was hoping for with Chapter 1, but that's ok. I've been gone a while so it will take time for people to filter back. Not gonna lie, I may have put a few things into this short arc that weren't necessarily needed, but everything I do adds character moments (Usually) and it's also based on things I'd like to see. I like to have a lot of action and then sprinkle in some Slice-Of-Life, but don't worry. I'm not going to put as much into this story as I did with the last. I have a lot to get through with this story so putting loads of Filler moments would be a bad idea._

 _Anyway, enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2: Summer Holidays**_

 _Thursday 8_ _th_ _August Age 793_

A week on from the confrontation with Gohan and everything was settled down. Gohan's and Noca's relationship didn't appear to be instantly corrected and repaired, but the groundwork had been done to ensure things would be fixed soon. In the meantime, Bra recommended that the entire group spend a few days together and Noca found himself dragged along to Satan City mall. Not always the best day out, but at least he was spending time with his friends. Time that didn't involved school or invading aliens.

Once at the mall, Pan and Noca immediately met with Bra, Dom, Holline and Kiera, but they were made to wait for the arrival of Kareshi. For some reason he was running late and hadn't told anyone why. Either he had overslept or was busy with something else. Bra seemed disappointed by Kareshi's late arrival, but didn't say anything on the matter.

When Kareshi did finally showed up it seemed he had decided to go with the 'accidentally overslept' excuse. One they had all predicted would be an option in his mind. To Bra, it didn't matter if he was late or on time. At least he was there to spend some time with her. They hadn't seen each other in little over a week and she was beginning to miss him. Could the same be said for Kareshi? If it could then it was certainly hard to tell.

All he did upon arrival was start talking to Noca and Dom. Yes, he greeted Bra, but she felt like she was being ignored, at least a little bit. He seemed to be more interested in whether or not Dom and Noca had played a brand new video game or seen a new movie than he was in his own girlfriend. That didn't sit right with the group, but no one was about to call him out in front of everyone. Someone would have to have a private work with him.

Pan shot Noca a look that made him understand she wanted him to be the one to ask the question and see what was going on with Kareshi, but the teen wasn't looking forward to such a conversation. Once in the mall though, the boy found themselves split from the girls in one of the bigger stores and started wandering aimlessly to find an exit from the Women's section. The girls had foolishly lead the males in here and now they were trapped.

" **Where is the freakin' exit?"** Dom questioned, getting rather agitated. Noca shook his head and put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

" **You need to calm down a little,"** Noca said with a half smile. Dom glared back, but it wasn't meant in a serious manner. Noca chuckled, **"What? It's not my fault we're stuck."**

Dom smirked and turned away to try and find a new route. Meanwhile, Kareshi followed them, but was busy texting someone on his phone. Neither Dom nor Noca cared enough to enquire as to whom he was speaking with, but they did want his attention and assistance. He was the one to have spent more time in a mall than the other two boys, but he wasn't being at all helpful in this scenario.

Luckily, they soon found their way outside, only to find the girls there waiting.

" **Where have you three been?"** Bra asked, giggling at the looks on their faces. Those expressions told the story. They were a bit perplexed by the layout of that shop and how the girls were already out. None of them even held a shopping back and Noca sighed. Kiera laughed and stepped towards him.

" **You know better than to expect us to buy something in the first shop we visit, right Noca?"** Kiera said, patting him on the arm and continuing to the next shop. Noca looked to the side, sighed again and then turned to face Pan with a pleading expression.

" **When can we leave?"** Noca asked, plain a simple. Dom then appeared at his side.

" **I am too curious as to when we can go home,"** Dom said, his language clearly better than Noca's, but he only cared about getting his point across. None of the boys wanted to be here, but they weren't going to force the girls to let them leave. Meanwhile, Kareshi seemed to still be busy on his phone and that was starting to get to Bra, if only a little bit.

Bra looked away from her boyfriend and back to the other two boys before informing them, **"We'll go home when I've had enough shopping."**

" **So…never?"** Noca responded bluntly, earning himself a slap on the arm from his Blue-Haired friend…wait, not friend, they were actually cousins now. His Blue-Haired cousin. That's better.

Noca rubbed his arm, pretending to be hurt and that earned him an amused smirk from Dom, but Noca shot him a fake glare. The two chuckled together before following the girls. Kareshi was still tagging along behind. Eventually, Bra found a shop that she saw good enough for her attention and dropped in to have a look at some stuff. Noca, Dom and Kareshi once again followed in, but the boyfriend of the Brief girl wasn't paying much attention and accidently drifted off in a different direction. Dom recommended that he and Noca take a look for things that may interest them. Neither noticed that Kareshi was no longer with them.

Down an aisle with the stuff Bra was looking for Pan took the time to ask her something. She had noticed her best friend seeming pretty angry at something and had to see what it was. Both of them hated seeing the other angry or upset.

" **Bra, are you ok?"** Pan asked, Bra didn't respond immediately and made out she was looking intently for something. Pan sighed and asked again and this time the Blue-Haired girl turned around and apologised.

" **Sorry Pan, I don't mean to seem annoyed with you girls, but I'm a little frustrated with Kareshi right now,"** Bra stopped and looked up and down to see if Kareshi was anywhere near. He wasn't. She moved in closer to her friends, **"He's been really distant. It's difficult to get replies from him, but today he's been on his phone almost the entire time…I just don't get it."**

None of the three girls knew exactly what to say. None of them had really been fond of Kareshi and didn't understand Bra's attraction, but Bra obviously liked something about him and that had made her happy. But right now she clearly wasn't happy and the girls were finding it hard not to voice their opinions and concerns. They hoped that the situation would sort itself out and tried to assure Bra that he probably had a lot on his mind. Bra just accepted the response and made sure to keep on a happy face for the rest of their day out.

Until…

Once they left that store they managed to re-join Kareshi and he was finally off of his phone. It didn't seem like he had anything important to tell them, so was he just being ignorant? The group started to head further into to mall and soon there was a group of three boys approaching them. They were close to Kareshi's size and it didn't take long for everyone to notice they were players from their school's sports team. There was an audible sigh from Bra as Kareshi looked up and smiled.

" **Hey guys!"** he greeted, walking up to them and joking around. They seemed to be in conversation while the others stood back and just let it happen. Bra was beginning to look fairly annoyed now and wanted to say something, but also didn't want to make a scene. Kareshi seemed to be done talking and turned around to face the others and Bra was about to breathe a sigh of relief…

But…

" **Hey, so I'm gonna head off with these guys,"** Kareshi said, and now Bra had enough. She glared at her boyfriend for a second. Closed her eyes. Breathed in and then turned away from him.

" **Fine,"** she said bluntly before storming off in the opposite direction. The other three girls quickly turned and followed after the Brief Girl. Kareshi seemed pretty shocked, but one of his teammates spoke to him and then they all walked off joking around. Noca and Dom remained standing there and didn't know what to do. They could've tried to persuade Kareshi to change his mind, but for some reason they just didn't. Maybe it was best?

The two boys looked at each other before turning and walking in the direction the girls rushed off in. They didn't rush after them and knew the girls would want a chance to calm Bra down, so they took a slow walk in that direction. It gave them a chance to talk as well.

" **What do you think is Kareshi's problem?"** Dom questioned, seeming fairly disappointed in his friend's decision. Noca shrugged his shoulders.

" **I don't really know. He just doesn't seem that keen on spending time with Bra at the moment,"** Noca clearly had a confused expression and didn't understand why Kareshi was acting this way. Dom certainly had a problem with it.

" **Why though? What's his deal?"** Dom was getting a little more worked up. Noca made an attempt to calm Dom down, not wanting another angry friend today.

" **Hey, don't worry, I'm sure it's nothing big,"** Noca started, putting a hand on Dom's shoulder. **"Kareshi doesn't seem like a relationship genius, I doubt he even knows he's hurt Bra's feelings."**

Noca was clearly trying to make the situation a bit more light-hearted and Dom understood Noca's motives for doing so. He just decided to agree with his friend, **"I know…I just don't like it."**

" **I said don't worry, let's just make sure nothing else upsets her today,"** Noca suggested as the two of them continued on. They soon caught up with their friends and the girls decided they had enough of the mall for the day and suggested they just head to Satan City park and relax in the heat. The boys agreed. They all quickly grabbed themselves drinks from a local shop and then started to make the walk to the park.

Finding the best place to relax in the park had been made a hard task due to the amount of people that had decided to venture out on this reasonably warm day. Luckily they still managed to find a fairly decent place to chill out and they managed to keep away from any larger crowds so that was a plus. They had their privacy that way.

The six of them just all talked amongst each other, joked around and had a genuinely good time. They made sure not to think on Kareshi although it was assumed that Bra still had it on her mind, but all they could do in that case was keep the conversation going about something else.

He wouldn't openly admit it in this moment, but Noca felt really happy with life at this time. No big bad events seemed on the horizon as of yet, although this Kuyato person had been named and that was clearly a threat to be prepared for, but how could they be prepared for something that they weren't even sure would come. Could Vernege really be believed, and who was the cloaked person that Noca spoke with? All things that still needed clearing up, but right now Noca wanted to hold his girlfriend in his arms and sit a chill out with his friends.

He put his arm around Pan and pulled her in a little closer and she returned the gesture by putting her arms around his torso. The two cuddled up to each other, while continuing their conversation with the others.

Unfortunately, that conversation would soon be disturbed by a sound in the distance. Some sort of alarm started to screech from further in the city and that caught the attention of every single person in the park. It wasn't unusually for alarms to go off in Satan City, people knew there had been a lot of crime there in past. Some people started to pass it off and return to their business, but…

BOOM!

A loud explosion sounded from the same direction and once more, everyone sprung to attention and some people even started to run in the opposite direction. Noca jumped to his feet and started to move in that direction. He could hear more screams coming and he knew he should go and check on it. He turns back to the group and is surprised to see them all step forward and suggest they carry on ahead to check it out. Noca agreed and off they went.

All six of them started running and soon enough they came into view of the street that had been affect and they could see a large black cloud and some flames coming from further down. Dom was quick to realise where it came from.

" **That's the Science Museum!"** The blond boy shouted, quite angered to see it happen to a place he was fond of. Bra stepped forward as well.

" **Damn, what should we do?"** Bra asked. She turned to Noca, hoping for an answer, but his eyes were fixed on something heading their way. The silhouette travelling towards them seemed to walk awkwardly, but Noca was still getting ready for some sort of huge fight. He clenched his fists, but once the figure was out of the black smoke cloud the others could clearly see that something wasn't quite right about it.

" **What the hell is that thing?"** Kiera asked, not getting a clear view straight away.

Dom started to step forward trying to get a better look at it, **"Looks like some sort of Robot?"**

" **Possibly an Android,"** Bra said in surprise as she grabbed the back of Dom's shirt and dragged him back away. She clearly didn't want anyone getting hurt. Noca stepped forward and looked around. He was formulating a plan. They didn't know how dangerous this robot might be.

He turned around and looked to Pan and Holline, knowing they were the fighters of the group. **"You two, help cover me by taking the outside route. Don't give it any space to escape,"** Noca instructed. The two of them listened. Pan ran to the right and Holline to the left. Noca, meanwhile, would head up the middle. He wanted to draw the robot in his direction so he would be in with a quick chance of taking it down.

The robot hadn't actually taken any notice of the teens yet and was instead firing its weapons towards people, but it appeared to only be doing it in a threatening fashion and wasn't actually trying to kill anyone, but explosions told a completely different story. Noca noticed one of the robot's attacks come very close to a person and that was when he knew he couldn't wait anymore. He charged towards the robot and stopped dead in front of it. The robot halted any movement and turned to face the teen. It started to analyse him and Noca just let it. At least it was distracted. The teen had to remain vigilant though. He couldn't let his guard down.

The robot finally seemed to stop analysing him and actually started to speak, but with a very robotic tone, would you believe?

" **New target acquired. Threat level…highest."**

Noca raised an eyebrow and didn't know what to expect, but then the robot lifted its arm and started to fire its weapon once more. Noca leapt back to avoid any damage, but found the bullets to be ordinary, meaning they did no effect to the teen. He shook his head slightly and then started to walk towards the robot once more. Once within reach he reeled his arm back and sent it crashing right through the robot's face, effectively taking it out of commission.

Noca pulled his arm out of the robot's head and watched as it collapsed to the ground, sparking. The rest of the teens all approached to take a better look at the robot. There was obviously no longer a fear factor about the machine. Noca had taken it down with such ease. Bra dropped down beside it and started to examine the technology around it. She seemed fascinated, while Noca stood and pondered on where it had come from and why it was here.

" **Look at all this tech,"** Bra exclaimed, clearly in awe. **"We should get this to my Mom, she'd love to take a look at it."** Right as Bra said those words a bright red light started to flash on the robot and everyone was suddenly quite worried about what it could mean. It even started to make a beeping noise and that was when Noca made an assumption.

" **It's a bomb, move!"** Noca shouted as he flashed Super Saiyan and moved towards it again. The rest of them moved away as Noca made sure to keep his aura raised to a protective level. The small little robot that had caused a slight issue shone brightly before erupting in a great explosion that engulfed Noca. Pan turned around and called out for her boyfriend, but the smoke cleared to reveal that Noca was unscathed aside from some torn clothing. He lowered his arms and looked around at the debris. He cursed to himself that there wasn't a way to find out where it had come from. He really thought they could have found some important information.

Bra approached and looked around at the damage and then up at Noca. **"So much for that idea, huh?"** She said with an awkward smile. Noca smiled back, but kept his gave fixed on further up the street. Specifically, the museum. He wondered what the robot was actually trying to do and felt the need to investigate further. The teen started to walk further up the street, slightly confusing his friends.

" **What is it?"** Pan asked, rushing up to his side. Noca looked around at the damage from the Robot and then into a hole in the wall of the museum.

" **I wanna know why the robot attacked,"** Noca responded. Noca entered the building through the hole and found himself in some sort of laboratory. Wait, it actually was a lab. Noca looked at the tech that he was unfamiliar with and tried to spot something that looked obviously out of the ordinary. The only problem with this, the place was in a mess so it was all out of the ordinary. There were some scientists trying to clean up as the teen walked in. Pan tried to tell Noca to ignore it, but he was already oblivious to her. It didn't help that Bra and Dom both wanted to look around as well. Pan rolled her eyes and decided that she may as well join them. The last three of the group followed in and all tried to help Noca look around for some sort of clues.

The first thing Noca saw out of the ordinary was a person that he recognised. Someone he had spoken with before. It was Teki, the teacher from school. Noca went up to him, the man looked a little shaken and the teen knew it would only be right to question what had happened.

" **Hey,"** Noca called out, getting the teacher's attention. He looked rather surprised to see Noca, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. **"What happened here?"** The teen Saiyan asked.

" **Oh…well I heard the attack and decided to come and check to see if everyone was ok…"** Teki said, it seemed like he was in a rush to get out of there, but Noca wanted to ask more questions. Teki quickly stopped that from happening. **"Unfortunately I didn't see anything."**

Noca was a little disappointed not to have any more information, but he wouldn't let it get him down for too long. Soon enough he heard a scientist call to one of his colleagues and say something to her. The middle-aged, female scientist rushed over to her male colleague's side and enquired as to what he had discovered. Noca and the others all heard the conversation.

" **What is it, Rick?"** The female asked.

" **I've searched all over and it appears that only one thing was taken…it was…"** Rick stalled and looked rather upset and angry about this, **"They took the chip."** The female scientist looked really disappointed to hear that news as well and sat down in a chair. She put her head in her hands a muttered something. The teens were all confused, but one of them decided to question it.

" **Uhm…hey,"** Dom greeted, walking over to the scientists, **"Might I ask what it is you've lost?"**

" **It was something secret that we had been working on for a very long time,"** The female responded. **"Not for teenagers to find out about."**

In response to that, Bra walked over and introduced herself, **"I'm Bra Brief, daughter of Bulma Brief, CEO of Capsule Corp."** The two scientists were rather shocked that she was there. **"I can assure you that anything you tell us is purely confidential…we won't tell anyone, we're just…we're big science fans."** Bra smiled at Dom after she said that and the blond boy blushed a little bit.

The scientists seemed to change their minds about keeping it from the teens and decided to explain what it was.

" **Fine, we'll let you kids know. By the way, I'm Fiona Winters, and this is my Partner, Rick Simmons,"** She introduced before moving over to a computer and sitting down in the seat. **"We've been working on a very Advanced Super-Computer System for a long time and we were making some huge progress."**

" **Wait, do you work for King's Systems?"** Bra asked, quickly. Fiona was taken by surprise at the outburst and started to chuckle.

" **So you know about us?"** Fiona questioned, a smile still on her face, despite what had happened.

" **Of course I do,"** Bra said proudly, **"I'm the good child in my house, I actually pay attention to what work my Mom is interested in."** Bra turned to her friends and explained herself. **"My Mom has been trying to work with King's Systems for a very long time, but these guys try to stay independent."**

" **You must be a very smart girl,"** Fiona stated, earning a giggle from the blue-haired teen. **"She's right, Capsule Corp. have been hugely interested in us for a very long time now. And this was one idea they were always excited about."**

Fiona opened a file, but then took a moment to think.

" **I don't understand why they took the chip..."** She questioned out loud. Bra raised an eyebrow and wanted to ask further, but Fiona turned around in her chair. **"We were working on a form of Artificial Intelligence and that was the first chip we had managed to completely construct."**

All the teens were very shocked by what had been revealed and didn't know what to say.

" **You mean…you guys…were making AI a reality?"** Dom asked, completely awestruck. Fiona nodded.

" **Yes, and despite losing the chip, we still have all the data. While it would take some time to reconstruct the chip and reprogram it, it is still possible,"** Fiona continued. As she showed the teens some of the files, Teki began to wander a little bit around the Lab and appeared to be looking for something. Rick noticed this and approached the man.

" **Anything wrong, sir?"** Rick asked. Teki turned and shook his head with a friendly smile.

" **Nope, just taking a look at your tech,"** Teki took a glance, **"It's very good, but it certainly isn't Alpha Industries quality."**

" **I thought I recognised you…you approached us before,"** Rick said. He seemed a little annoyed now. **"As a rival to Capsule Corp. I don't feel comfortable having you here in our lab."**

Teki smiled and chuckled.

" **That's ok, I was just leaving anyway,"** He said, turning around and heading towards the hole in the wall. He stopped by a desk and placed a card down. **"If, by any chance, you're interested in choosing a business partner then give me a call."**

Teki didn't look back, he just stepped out of the wall and continued down the street. He reached the end and turned down a small alleyway before pulling out a communicator. He clicked the button and waited to hear a response on the other end. Soon another voice came.

" **Teki, I saw the news. Couldn't have kept it quiet?"** The older voice asked.

" **Sorry, Omega. I just needed to ensure the distraction was grand enough that I could go completely unnoticed,"** Teki responded, feeling very pleased with himself.

" **Did you get the item?"**

" **The chip is safely in my possession, but they still have the files and ability to create a new one,"** Teki explained, **"What shall I do about that?"**

There was silence from the other end for a bit and Teki couldn't bring himself to say anything else right now. Omega was clearly thinking and needed a little time to come up with a good enough idea.

" **I can be placed at the scene…and they have my card,"** Teki said, coming to the realisation that he may have done something stupid. **"That would all be telling evidence if we were to release the system to the public."**

" **The public?"** Omega questioned, chuckling afterward. **"This will never reach the public, this system will be used for so much more. We will change the world."**

" **But what about the files that they have? How do we erase them now?"** Teki questioned.

" **We know hackers. We have more robots. We have endless means to take down any competition,"** The sinister sound in Omega's voice was almost terrifying, **"We'll be fine."**

" **What will we do?"**

" **I'll explain the plan when you're back here. But, I can assure you, we must make sure all evidence of you being there, is erased. Is that clear?"** Omega stated.

" **Yes sir,"** Teki replied. He thought about the fact the teens knew he was there, but none of them suspected Teki of being a criminal and they would have no reason to believe he was involved. Everything would work itself out in the end.

Back at the Lab, Fiona was still showing the files to the teens and they were getting really excited with what they were seeing.

" **Everything you guys are doing looks fantastic!"** Dom exclaimed. It's just so unfortunate someone tried to sabotage it all.

" **At least they only have the chip. They may be able to replicate the system, but we hold patent and what they did is very illegal,"** Fiona explained.

" **If they manage to release some form of the system to the public then we'll know, plus they'll have a hard time completing it without the finishing touches,"** Rick expanded on Fiona's point. The teens realised that everything wasn't as bad as it seemed and they should be happy that King's Systems weren't completely destroyed by the loss of their chip.

Bra and Dom were still interested in finding out more about the system and wanted to stay a bit longer. The information was fascinating for them and they loved it all. The two scientists were very pleased that the teens were excited but they had to get them out of there so they could clean up. But Bra had a final question.

" **So, if you're creating an AI you must have some sort of brilliant name for the system. What is it?"**

Fiona and Rick were amused by their persistence in finding out everything they could. It really pleased them that people were this excited about their work.

" **Nothing too amazing, just 'King's Artificial Intelligence' or K.A.I. for short,"** Fiona revealed before leading them out, **"Now, you should head on home."**

The teens said goodbye to the scientist duo and began to head back to the park. They had to navigate a rather large crowd that had formed to see what the whole event had been and some people had recognised Noca as the person who had destroyed the robot and they were trying to thank him, but the teens wanted to avoid all of this. They just boarded one of Bra's Capsule-Planes and headed back to Capsule Corp. They may as well spend the night together.

It had been an interesting day, but there were many more of those to come and Noca would be prepared for anything…except maybe…

 _Thursday 15_ _th_ _August Age 793_

Date night for Gohan and Videl. Also…the first time that Noca and Pan would be left to look after a certain child Saiyan. Rei.

It was safe to say that both teens were dreading having to look after the baby, but they couldn't deny it was also going to be a fantastic experience. Not only would it help them for their own future, but it would also be the perfect chance to show that Noca and Pan were mature enough to do something as serious as this. Gohan was confident in them and that was all they needed to be sure everything would be ok. There was always a little worry, but Pan couldn't hide her excitement and actually babysitting her own little brother. She was especially happy that Noca was here to share it with her.

" **Well, it's time for some training,"** Noca said, standing up and heading to the door.

" **What?"** Pan called out, looking rather angry to hear those words, but upon hearing the sound of Noca's laughter she managed to realise he was only joking. He was just trying to mess with her. **"That's not funny…I may be excited to do this, but it's still gonna be difficult on us."**

" **Hey, your Dad has faith in us to do well and we just need to keep that in mind,"** Noca explained, doing his best to keep her spirits up. He could see the look in her eyes and it told him that Pan was rather overwhelmed by the responsibility that had been heaped upon the couple this evening. Noca let a smirk crawl across his face, knowing that he and Pan would be fine if they stuck together through it. She had been looking forward to having a chance to look after her little brother, but now that the moment had finally arrived, Pan was scared.

Noca vowed to be as much help as he could, but he too had to admit it was something to be a little wary of. He had never looked after a child before, then again he was only 14-years-old, as was Pan.

Videl had made sure to leave the teens with everything they needed to make sure Rei would be fed and clean. Pan and Noca just needed to keep an eye on him, keep him entertained and put him to bed at an appropriate time. By this time, the first part had already been taken care of and all that was left was for the teens to play with him for a little bit. Rei seemed to be very prepared for this moment and was in a very energetic mood. That didn't bode well for the inexperienced teenagers.

Pan was just playing with a few of Rei's toys when all of a sudden the little baby grabbed a hold of one of his toys and threw it across the room. Now, babies would do this kind of thing, but when Rei did it…

" **Ow!"** Noca exclaimed when he felt something plastic take him completely by surprise and strike the back of his head. The boy turned around to see Rei giggling like he had just accomplished something great. Pan was also trying to hold back a laugh, but had to remain strict to tell Rei not to do it again.

" **No, bad Rei. Don't throw things at Noca,"** Pan said, sternly, pointing her finger. Rei giggled, moved forward and grabbed his Sister's finger. Pan thought it was a cute gesture, but then the squeezing started and Pan was sure she felt bones cracking. She winced in pain and tried to pull her hand away, but ended up dragging Rei along the floor. **"Rei, let go!"**

Pan wasn't angry with her Brother, but she was feeling a lot of strength and that was both surprising and unnerving. It was great that she had such a strong little Brother, but he shouldn't be hurting his sister. Noca walked over and lifted Rei away, getting the baby boy to release his Sister in the process.

" **Now, why would you want to hurt her?"** Noca asked in a childish voice, looking into Rei's eyes. The boy started to giggle at the Teen's face and then unleashed a powerful slap that stung across Noca's cheek. The teen made sure to remain composed, but he had no guard up, no raised Ki…and that hurt.

Pan was up on her feet and took the baby from Noca, and in her strictest voice she said, **"Now, that was mean. I'm putting you to bed."**

Rei continued to giggle. Pan shook her head, smiled and put the boy down on the floor.

" **He's a handful…"** Pan said to Noca.

" **Yeah, but he's your brother,"** Noca replied, looking back at his girlfriend with an amused smile. Pan sent a fake laugh in his direction.

" **Yeah, well one day he'll be your brother-in-la…"** Pan stopped herself from finishing that sentence as a blush started to cross her face. Noca chuckled at her reaction. He moved to the couch and sat beside her.

" **You get so embarrassed when you think about that possibility don't you?"** Noca questioned. Pan continued to blush and tried to look away from her boyfriend. **"It may happen one day, we accept that, right?"**

Pan looked back and laid a quick kiss on her boyfriend's cheek. **"Of course, Noca."** The couple's sweet moment was cut short, but a smashing sound and some more hysterical giggling. Both Pan's and Noca's gazes snapped towards the sound and they saw Rei sitting on top of a shelf and underneath it was a smash Vase. Pan stood up in shock and looked ahead.

" **That was very expensive…Rei!"** Pan said, scared about what her Mother and Father would say. Pan rushed over to the mess and started to clean it up, but then Rei decided that he would continue his fun and decided that he had the perfect moment to jump off of the shelf. Noca was quick to react and phased forward to catch the little boy. Rei looked up at his unwanted saviour and sent a pout in his direction. Noca smirked down at the baby.

" **You have a long, long ways to go until you're faster than me** ," Noca told the boy. Noca looks from Rei down at Pan, as she cleans the mess. He can see the stress in her eyes and moves down next to her. **"Hey Pan, why don't you lay down for a minute. I can keep an eye on Rei."**

Pan looked up at her boyfriend and contemplated it. **"No, I can't let you do that."**

" **Pan, I'm not asking you, I'm telling you. Lay down."**

She takes a look at the genuine smile on Noca's face and then the extremely playful look on Rei's. She sighs and then nods to her boyfriend. He helps her up off the floor and she lays down on the couch. Noca watches her close her eyes and drift into a peaceful state and he prepares himself to entertain the child.

Noca sets the boy down on the floor and sits there to watch what he gets up to. Rei starts to crawl towards his toys and begins to play with them as if everything was normal. Noca furrows his brow and starts to laugh a little. Rei was a strange little guy and Noca was looking forward to getting to know him some more.

About half-an-hour passes by and Pan is up and ready to help Noca again. As she wakes up Rei rushes towards her and in doing so, leaps through the air and tackles her back to the ground. Pan hits down hard and starts to get angry and a little upset.

" **Why is everything going wrong?!"** Pan half yells, tears almost in her eyes. Noca is quick to realise what is going on.

" **Wait a second, Pan. Rei senses your nerves. He knows you're scared and that's why he's acting this way. He's trying to settle your emotions, but he doesn't know how."** Noca explained. Pan looked at him, judgingly.

" **Is that really what's going on?"**

" **I don't know. Could be, makes sense right?"** Noca replied in an amused tone. Pan smirked, but soon that smirk turned to a look of fear as she noticed something behind Noca. He turns around slowly and then spots what had grabbed Pan's attention. It was Rei, ever so slowly, flying towards the door. He was giggling all the way as his body struggled through the air, but Pan didn't see it as a laughing matter. She was about to run after him, but Noca immediately phased in front of the baby boy.

" **Where are you going, little guy?"** Noca asked in a casual tone. Rei ignore the boy and sailed slowly past his head. He came into contact with the door and pressed against it. Nothing happened, of course, but Noca knew what Rei wanted. **"Oh, you wanna go outside?"**

Noca reached for the door handle slowly.

" **NOCA! NO!"** Pan screeched in response.

" **Hey, don't worry. I'll be there with him the whole time. It'll be fine,"** Noca assured her. Pan was visibly shaking with fear at this idea, but Noca went ahead with it anyway. She trusted him, but she just wasn't sure what to expect. She turned away as both boys went through the front door and then she started to tidy the living room.

Outside, Noca was watching as Rei floated in the air just ahead of him. The teen couldn't help but smirk at the sight. This boy was only 6 months old and already showing he had some sort of control over his Ki. This was definitely interesting and had Noca thinking more on the capabilities of Saiyan children. Obviously they can't control when the Ki is breaking out, but they do react to it. Rei was reacting to it by showing off or maybe he was just having fun.

The small boy started to lift up into the air a bit more and was making an ascension. Noca made sure to position himself underneath Rei, so that he could catch the boy if he started to fall. Rei wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings and continued to go up. Noca followed on, he began to rise so to keep the distance between them as minimal as possible whilst giving Rei the freedom to roam.

Rei finally reached a comfortable height and started to continue forward. Noca moved with him, only this time he went closer.

" **Hey, what you looking for?"** Noca asked, again in a bit of a childish tone. He knew it sounded a little stupid, maybe patronising, but he was speaking to a baby after all. Rei did nothing, but gurgle back a response hoping that Noca would understand. The teen chuckled and continued to follow and watch the boy. Noca could see the look on Rei's face and it was one of pure enjoyment. He loved being up in the air and this sight definitely hit Noca. He began to smile some more.

Rei eventually turned around and moved towards Noca. He started to fly circles around the teen. Apparently he was getting used to flying. This truly was a shock, but Noca just let it happen. He knew he was fast enough if Rei started to lose control over his Ki. After some time, Pan finally came outside and took in the sight of Rei flying around Noca. Her Boyfriend and her Brother. After the stress she had experienced, this actually made her smile.

She started to fly towards the two of them and stopped in front of Noca. "Are my two favourite boys having fun?" She asked in a motherly tone. Noca cocked his head at that and still wore a smirk on his face.

" **Well, Rei was showing me how good he was at flying,"** Noca said, motioning to the baby.

" **Is he now?"** Pan questioned, keeping the motherly tone going, **"I must say, he's brilliant at it."**

Rei heard what she said and turned around. He darted towards her again, but this time Pan's reflexes reacted and she caught him. She held him in her arms and looked down at her little brother. She smiled at his happy little face and he smiled back, but then he let out one hell of a yawn and Pan knew he was tired.

" **We best put this little monster to bed,"** She said to Noca. The boy looked at her, smiling and nodded.

" **Yeah, I'll be there in a minute though. Just gonna take a second,"** Noca told her. Pan smiled and moved over to give him a kiss on the cheek. She the returned to the house and went to put Rei to bed. Noca watched them and still had a smile on his face, but once she was inside his look become one of complete seriousness and focus.

He turned to look over the whole area he was in and marvelled at the beauty. Then he let his thoughts take over.

" _ **Look at this. Everything has been great the past few weeks. So calm…so…peaceful."**_ Noca looked back to the house and then closed his eyes before returning to looking ahead. _ **"It just begs the question…what's over the horizon?"**_

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed that! Please review!_

 _Next time...Chapter 3: Progression_


	3. Arc I: Progression

_Hey people! This is the last chapter of the first arc. It was really just a slice of life arc and I do apologise if that isn't your thing, but there are a lot of things that I enjoy including in this story and some of that stuff is in here, doesn't mean that everything I write is completely enjoyable, but oh well._

 _Arc II is already completed and will start being uploaded next week._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 3: Progression**_

After a peaceful, uninterrupted Summer, Noca and his friends found themselves facing a new task. Nothing to really shout about, but something that would be at the back of the minds of all teenagers when it came to this time of the year. School.

That's right, School's back and the teenagers would soon get back into that ordinary routine. Noca was going into this school year wondering whether or not it could actually be a full year. He had never really completed a year of School without some kind of issue to mess things up, but this time, this time he was going to try his hardest to stick it out. Maybe…we'll see.

Pan was a little bit relieved that nothing had happened in the summer. She was thrilled that she managed to spend a lot of good time with Noca, but now that they were back it school, Pan was finally hoping they could prove to the World that they could lead a normal life. It was hard to ignore one simple fact about life though. Noca was bored.

It was clear on his face from the first day of school, all the way through September. Noca missed the excitement of battle. Sure, he could just have an all out Spar with Vegeta, but come on, we all know that isn't going to sate his thirst for battle. Vegeta and Noca were close to being on the same level, they respected each other as equals rather than Teacher and Student, and that was why Noca preferred having Vegeta as a teacher than he ever did when Goku or Gohan had taught him.

Sure, Goku knew how to make his student feel like a partner rather than the pupil, but he would still hold back in certain situations and give the student breathing room. Gohan always had the feeling of a teacher, so that just made Noca feel a bit small. He knew he was powerful, but he was never really given the chance to express that with the other two. Vegeta on the other hand, if you were too weak, he wasn't going to give you a chance. He wouldn't even look at you twice. You had to worth his time. And by God, Noca was.

Their spars had been focussed on fighting at higher levels and trying to get a perfect feel for Super Saiyan 2. Sure it may not be possible to use it in the exact same way as Full Powered Super Saiyan 2, it still used a fair amount of energy, but the two of them needed to find a way to make that form the best it can be. It was probably the most beneficial of all the Super Saiyan forms. Super Saiyan 3 being the least so. It used far too much energy and you would feel exhausted after a use. These Saiyans never wanted to be in such a situation that forced them to use a temporary power up. They needed to be fully in control of not only their power, but their fights.

Noca wished that School would be just as exciting as Training was becoming, but that wasn't to be. In school Noca felt so small. He felt as if he wasn't helping the World anyway. Plus, there were still far too many things on his mind. He just had to keep his senses as sharp as ever. That was one thing school would be good for. Noca found plenty of time when stuck in the classroom to focus on himself and the power within. He tried to draw on the distractions and put himself in charge of any environment.

Pan would notice her boyfriend making attempts to train and voiced her concerns a couple of times, but she did understand why he did it. She just wished Noca would give the normal life a try. She tried to get Dom to talk to Noca more out of school and get them to be better friends. It worked to a certain extent. It was clear that Noca preferred Dom's company to Kareshi's, but that didn't deter him from spending a fair amount of time training with Vegeta. He just made sure to keep his weekends free to spend them with Pan. She could at least be thankful for that.

As much as training meant a lot to Noca, and helped keep him sane, Pan mattered so much to Noca and he wouldn't let anything get in the way of their relationship.

As time went on, new conversations started to come up. One such conversation was brought up by the Red-Headed Best-Friend of Noca, Holline.

 _Thursday 10_ _th_ _October Age 793_

" **We could always do something for Noca's Birthday,"** Holline Suggested. The group had been having a conversation about getting together properly out of school again. Holline was the one to remember Noca's birthday first, but he really wished she hadn't. Noca shot her a look that said, very bluntly, 'Why?'

" **That's not a bad idea actually, it's only just around the corner!"** Bra said, getting a little bit excited. I think we all know she likes parties.

Pan spared a look in her boyfriend's direction and saw he was clearly unmoved by the idea, **"It is a good idea."**

Despite Pan's agreement, Noca didn't seem to change his opinion. He wasn't saying anything and instead let the girls continue to discuss what they could do. He heard to option of party with people from school and he started to think about what people he would actually even think to invite. No one. Except his immediate group of friends, of course.

Noca had a suggestion of his own, actually.

" **We can get together for my birthday…"** He started, before being interrupted by Bra.

" **Yay!"**

" **But…"** Noca continued. Bra seemed to take a mental step back, preparing for whatever Noca was about to drop on them, but it wasn't a bad thing.

" **It's my birthday and I don't really care about a party or loads of gifts…I just want to spend it with my friends,"** Noca suggested, "Can we just do that?"

The friends all looked at each other.

" **It is your birthday,"** Bra said. Pan nodded in agreement and then held her boyfriend's hand.

" **If that's what you want?"** Pan questioned, Noca smiled and told her a simple yes. He didn't want to be fussed over and told them there wasn't really anything he needed or wanted, so he was perfectly happy with a friendly get together.

So it was agreed. Noca's birthday would take place on a Saturday so that made things simple for choosing a day. Bra just made sure to confirm that she would have a party for her own birthday. Noca was fine with that and they moved on with whatever else was going on in their day.

* * *

Noca's birthday came round and it was a perfectly chilled out day. He was wished a happy birthday by friends, the Z-family, and any well-wishers…if any. The teens managed to get the house to themselves with Gohan, Videl and Rei all choosing to go visit Chi-Chi. Noca was perfectly happy with what was planned. The friends would all just stay together, have some great conversation, watch some films, play some games…and chill out. Even Kareshi was there, so Bra was even happier.

This was one of the things that Noca saw as part of his perfect life, but his ache for battle was still there. And it was becoming harder each day to resist conflict. Vegeta could sense this within the boy and knew that Patience was definitely a must.

* * *

 _Saturday 23_ _rd_ _November Age 793_

Bra certainly always got what she wanted. So when she asked if she was allowed to have a party at the Capsule Corp. Compound with friends from school, her Parents obliged without problem. Well, Bulma agreed, Vegeta kind of made it clear he would be in his GR the entire time and would not be in charge of babysitting. Bra had to make it clear to that man that she was in fact turning 15 and didn't need 'babysitting' anymore.

Noca and Pan had stayed at Capsule Corp. the previous night so that they didn't have far to go for the party. Bra had made sure to tell everyone that she invited to dress-up nice. This meant that Pan got to see Noca in a lovely red shirt that she had picked especially for him. Noca didn't mind, but he was always more comfortable in his Gi. Even the Saiyan Training Armour was better.

Pan, meanwhile, was wearing a dress chosen by Bra, but felt it was just a little too north of the knee. She didn't really complain about it to her best-friend, but she would prefer to be in something more comfortable. Noca didn't mind, finding it in him to give Pan a compliment in front of all his friends.

" **I hate this dress,"** Pan said, messing around with it trying to make sure it was ok. The group were all sitting in Bra's room as they waited for the Capsule-Hall to be set up properly. Pan was standing in front of a mirror and had a frustrated look on her face.

" **Oh, come on, Pan,"** Noca said, not liking her putting herself down when wearing nice clothes. **"It looks very…alluring on you."**

The other 5 people in the room all froze and turned to look at Noca with surprised expressions. The Saiyan-Teen didn't even realise he had said anything remotely odd, but then again…it wasn't odd. He was her boyfriend after-all. Maybe it was just his choice of word.

Bra started to giggle and stood up excitedly. **"Don't worry, Pan, you look great. Or as Noca said…Alluring."** Bra raised her eyebrows as she said that word and Noca just shook his head. **"Anyway! We should head down. The hall should be ready by now."**

The group made their way down towards the Capsule-Hall and entered to see it was perfect for a teenager's Birthday Party. Unfortunately, there was no alcohol, but these were minors after-all. That would have been very irresponsible of the parents. All they had to do now was wait for the people, that Bra had invited, to show up. They would all be people from school. Bra made it clear that she didn't want to have a family event on this day and instead wanted to reserve that for the next day, her actual birthday.

All of Bra's guests arrived within the first half and hour, which was kind of surprising, but at least everyone was there soon enough. The DJ they had hired was ready with his music and everyone started to have a good time. Bulma had made sure to get the butler robots to man the bar, but obviously no one would be drinking alcohol here. Some people didn't like that, but they weren't exactly old enough and Bulma wasn't going to advocate any underage drinking.

Everyone seemed to be having fun and Bra was happy with that. She managed to drag Pan with her to the dance-floor and proceeded to have a good time. Meanwhile, Noca decided to just roam about for a bit. He wanted to make sure everything was going ok. Plus, he didn't actually want to be there. The Saiyan made his was towards the bar to get a drink, spotting someone he didn't exactly want to talk to. Billy. The kid that tried to bully Noca a few times. It was always funny because he was never intimidating to Noca, but he was always a nuisance and one that the Saiyan really wanted to avoid.

As Noca moved through the crowd, ducking his head down a little so to avoid Billy spotting him, he ended up bumping into two more people that he knew.

" **Hello, Noca,"** A female voice greeted. Noca turned to come face-to-face with Chloe. That girl from school that annoyed Bra and Pan. Next to her was her best friend, Alice.

Noca decided to be polite and said a simple, **"Hi."**

" **Is that all I get?"** Chloe questioned, pretending to act offended, **"Come on, give me a hug."**

She leaned in towards Noca, but he backed away a little and held his hand out.

" **No thanks. I just want to get myself a drink,"** Noca said, smirking. He nodded to Alice and then walked away. Chloe put her hands on her hips and pouted. She didn't like it when people denied her attention.

" **Why doesn't he like me?"** Chloe asked. Alice shrugged her shoulders and just told her friend to leave it alone. The two girls moved on further in the crowd as Noca managed to get away. He didn't do a fantastic job, however. He had the bar in-sight when he felt something approaching from his right and reacted quickly by turning away. Noca looked back and saw Billy come stumbling through, as if he had attempted to shove Noca. Luckily the boy managed to stumble towards the bar and catch himself.

He quickly turned around and tried to act all intimidating again. He squared up to Noca and glared at the Saiyan. Noca looked around as if nothing was happening and tried to ignore the situation.

" **I've been training, I'm a great martial artist now and I'll beat you in a fight,"** Billy threated, still trying his best to be intimidating. Noca scoffed and looked at the teen.

" **Good luck with that,"** Noca uttered. Billy didn't like the lack of fear and continued to press on, but Noca just shook his head and started to walk away towards the bathroom. The whole way there, Billy continued to press and try to get Noca to retaliate. He made claims that Noca was just running away because he was scared. Noca didn't react. He didn't want Billy to have the satisfaction of getting to him.

Billy continued to talk big all the way until Noca entered the bathroom and then he seemed to lose interest and walked off, presumably to find someone else to pick on. Noca took a brief moment to himself. Let his head clear. He hated being in crowds like that and right in that moment, he just wanted to punch something. Unfortunately, he didn't really want to kill Billy, and Vegeta wasn't there to take one.

Noca threw some water on his face and stepped out of the bathroom to see Billy was gone. The Saiyan was relieved and walked off to patrol the room some more. Or at least make sure Billy wasn't causing any trouble.

Later on in the party, Holline and Kiera were sitting down at a table to the side of the dance-floor. They were hanging out with some of their classmates and just chatting when a couple of guys approached them. The two guys looked towards Holline and Kiera and asked if the two of them wanted to dance. Holline and Kiera didn't know what to say. They looked at each other and blushed a little bit.

They turned back to the boys and delivered their answers.

" **Sorry, I'm gonna have to say no,"** Kiera said, sending back an unfortunate smile. Holline smirked and followed up.

" **Yeah, it's a no from me too,"** The red-head said. Both the guys seemed shot down, but immediately asked the other two girls with Holline and Kiera if they were interested. Turns out they were, so the four went to dance while Holline and Kiera remained at the table.

To the side of the table, Dom was standing and witnessed what had happened. He slowly approached the girls and had a question for them.

" **Why did you turn those guys down?"** He asked, wondering what the problem was. Both Holline and Kiera turned to face each other again and started to feel a little awkward with Dom asking this question. Holline had the courage and turned to face Dom.

" **We just weren't interested…besides,"** Holline went on, she noticed something that she decided to mention, **"Why are you alone, why haven't you asked anyone to dance?"**

Dom appeared to freeze up at Holline's question and turned to look at the dance-floor. His eyes lingered on Bra for a second. She was now dancing with Kareshi and Dom was feeling a bit awkward. He turned to face the girls again and sighed.

" **I guess I'm just not interested…"**

Holline smiled back at him and turned to talk with Kiera some more. Dom remained in the same position for a second and had some new thoughts on his mind. He turned to look back at the dance-floor, but shook his head to get it off that topic. He was too focussed on what was going on in his head that he didn't notice someone coming towards him. It was only at the last minute when Dom felt himself being pushed against the wall. He snapped his attention forward and his eyes fell onto the person standing in front of him. It was Billy, and for some reason he looked rather annoyed.

" **Can I…um…help you?"** Dom asked, not actually knowing what to do in this situation. It was certainly something confrontational and that wasn't Dom's favourite setting.

" **Who would invite a weirdo like you to this party?"** Billy questioned, quite ignorantly. Dom was speechless, he hadn't expected this to happen to him today.

" **I…I…don't know…what you mean…um…"**

" **Shut up!"** Billy said, raising his voice. Dom closed his mouth and continued to think of some sort of response. Billy didn't look happy and Dom was confused, and to be entirely honest, he was a little bit worried.

" **You're just a freak that tried to kill us all!"** Billy claimed. The word 'freak' was pretty hurtful in Dom's eyes. He tried to think of a way to explain everything to Billy.

" **It wasn't actually me…I…I was being used by someone as…as a pawn…"** Dom stammered, desperately wanting Billy to just leave him alone. **"I'm far different from whatever I did to the school…that wasn't me."**

" **You got that right,"** Billy responded, looking the teen up and down. Dom was scared for what Billy might do to him and that was apparent. Billy started to chuckle to himself. **"You're just a weak loser, aren't you?"**

Dom didn't respond and just wished to back away, but he was already against the wall. Billy didn't like not getting a response to that question and continued to show his superiority (if you could call it that).

Billy swiftly punches Dom in the gut and knocks the boy to the ground. Dom dropped rapidly and fell to his knees. He began coughing due to the gut punch and Billy continued to laugh. He was shut up by the intervention of a red-haired girl. Holline had decided to step in and put a stop to this.

" **Hey, leave him alone, what's he done to you?"** She questioned, showing her confidence. She knew Billy wouldn't lay a hand on her, but she still had to show she was tough enough to take whatever he could throw at them. Billy continued laughing.

" **Hey, back off, bitch."**

Those weren't words that Holline wanted to hear and she was ready to launch a powerful right hook into the little bastard's face, but she was prevented from doing so when someone appeared behind Billy. The boy felt the sudden appearance of someone behind him and almost completely froze up.

" **Wanna call her a bitch again?"** The voice said. It was calm, composed, but underneath there was certainly some rage in there. Billy turned around to come face-to-face with Noca. He almost stumbled back, but managed to stabilise himself. Noca wasn't happy.

" **I suggest you fuck off before I do something I'll regret…or I probably won't, but Bra won't like it if I were to beat the crap out of someone at her birthday party,"** Noca continued. Billy was very scared now and was trying to find a retort, but Noca prevented that. The Saiyan teen reached out and grabbed Billy by his shirt and lifted him off the ground. **"You got something to say to me?"**

Billy was stammering and was terrified of what Noca was capable of. The Saiyan dropped Billy to the ground and watched him get up and scurry off away. A lot of people had stopped to see if a fight would break out, but luckily Noca had calmed himself down. They had all returned to whatever they were doing before and Noca helped Dom up off the ground.

" **Uh…thanks for helping me, guys,"** Dom said as he got to his feet and brushed himself off. **"I didn't know what to say to him."**

" **That's ok, Dom. He's a dick,"** Noca responded with a smirk. Dom chuckled in response and walked off to get himself a drink. Holline, meanwhile, was not amused.

" **You didn't need to step in,"** She said, sternly. Noca tried not to pay it any attention, but Holline was always very persistent. **"He's weak and I can handle myself against him."**

" **I know you can,"** Noca responded, **"I'd just like you to at least have the illusion of being normal."**

" **I'm not normal?"** Holline enquired, feeling a little offended. Noca knew it was the wrong choice of words.

" **Now, you know that's not what I meant…we have better control of our abilities…our Ki, than anyone else here,"** Noca started to explain. **"They'll never understand our skills."**

" **And?"** Holline replied, in a questioning tone. **"I don't care. Why should you?"**

" **Because I don't like being treated differently…I don't want you to have the same thing happen to you,"** Noca continued. **"At least they accept you, but you go flaunting your skills…that'll change. Trust me."**

" **I don't care,"** Holline responded, confidently. **"You're not my Father, you don't get to decide what's right or wrong for me."**

" **But I see you as my sister…it's just a protective instinct,"** Noca informed her, **"I'm sorry if it seems like I'm…controlling."**

Holline nodded and smiled back at her best-friend. They exchanged a quick hug and then got on with whatever they were doing before the whole Billy thing happened.

Plenty of time passed by and the party was clearly coming to an end. People were filtering out and even Bra was getting tired. She was just a bit too polite to ask people to leave. Plus, her mood significantly changed when Kareshi left. Mainly because he just said bye, gave her a quick kiss and rushed off. It wasn't a good feeling for the Blue-Haired teen. He hadn't even said Happy Birthday to her. At least her had already given her a gift a few days ago to show he cared. Bra was a little curious about who had suggested what gift to get her. Her first thoughts went to Dom.

She did approach him and ask if he had helped Kareshi with a gift this time, but Dom said no and even had a gift for her. It was something that he had managed to buy from a small science shop and was something her knew Bra would completely appreciate. It was a book about one of Bra's favourite topics and it also came with instruction of how to build your own little gadget.

" **I love it, Dom. Thank you,"** Bra said, giving her friend a hug.

" **No problem, Happy Birthday,"** Dom responded, accepting the hug, but wishing she hadn't given him one. She went off to bed and Dom was left there to dwell on his thoughts. Until Noca caught his attention and then everyone went off to bed. It had felt like a long party, but they were all thrilled it was over and done with now. What next?

* * *

Before anyone realised, it was winter. Snow began to fall in the cities and soon enough, school was finished and it was time for Christmas. More time had passed by without an incident and Noca was beginning to feel on-edge and that wasn't a comforting feeling. Pan realised there was something wrong with him, but let him have his distance. She didn't want to experience an outburst like before, but this was something she knew was deep in his mind. She wouldn't be able to pull it out of him if she tried.

Christmas was calm for the everyone. It was a good time for the family to reconnect properly. A time where they could all sit together and think over the year. This just served to add to Noca's concerns and this time, Vegeta took notice. The two of them scheduled a training session for the New Year to help Noca get his mind off of this topic and to calm his nerves.

New Year's Day, to be specific.

 _Wednesday 1_ _st_ _January Age 794_

The two Saiyans chose to start their session bright and early. Before the sun had even risen. They were standing in the Gravity Room, about 10 metres from each other and both had the eyes fixed on the other. Neither of them moved into a stance and they both knew to wait until someone decided to make the first move. Noca was deliberately taking his time, knowing Vegeta was impatient when it came to fighting.

Sure enough, Vegeta had waited enough and charge forward at a swift pace. He moved in with a spinning kick and found the attack connected with the intended target. Just not in the way he had hoped.

Noca had thrown his right arm up to block the attack and started to push on Vegeta, but the strength of the Prince was at a better level. The teen could feel the pressure of Vegeta's foot pushing more and more. Noca lost his balance for a second and stumbled away, breaking the connection and almost falling to a knee. Vegeta flipped away and landed back in his starting position. A small smirk crossed his lips.

" **I can see there's been a slack in your training,"** The Prince taunted. Noca growled in response and pushed forward. He charged towards the Prince, but just as the teen came within touching distance Vegeta flipped away. Noca raised his power and blasted forward towards his opponent.

The Saiyan Prince was taken completely by surprise and found Noca's knee smashing into his face. Vegeta recoiled back due to the strength of the impact, but was swiftly smashed forward into the ground. Vegeta slammed forward, but managed to push himself up and swing around.

Noca had managed to phase immediately after hitting Vegeta with his knee and moved around to the other side. Vegeta was impressed, but he wouldn't be shown up so easily. He had just looked back in Noca's direction to find that the teen had already broken into another charge and was coming forward his his right fist ready. He thrust it forward, but the Prince caught it with ease.

Vegeta twisted around so he was behind Noca, while still holding onto the Teen's arm and then smacked his own fist into the back and the boy's head. Noca was knocked forward and quickly moved into a roll. Once his feet touched the ground he pounced back in the direction of his opponent, grabbed Vegeta by the head and, with lots of power, slammed the Prince's head into the ground.

After the smashing impact, Noca jumped up once again and threw a single, strong Ki blast at the Prince with tremendous pace. The attack crashed against Vegeta's body and exploded immediately. The explosion caused a small cloud of smoke to cover the ground and Noca couldn't see where Vegeta was. He tried to narrow his senses, but as soon as he let his guard down Vegeta came blasting up from out of the cloud and flashed a strong punch up, aimed at Noca's jaw.

The Teen panicked and managed to move out of the way with relative ease. The two fighters found themselves levelled out with each other once more, but Vegeta still appeared to have the advantage. He swung around with a strong right hook and aimed it towards Noca's head.

Noca was, once again, quick enough and managed to move his head to the right to avoid any connection. Then in a swift reaction he lifted his right arm and grabbed Vegeta's arm. Noca then pulled the Prince towards him and planned to plant his left fist into Vegeta's gut, but the Teen's fist was easily caught.

Vegeta smirked at the teen and then pushed his arm out of the way and sent his knee crashing into Noca's gut. Both released from each other and backed away. Noca, in pain, but Vegeta was unscathed.

Noca grunted in annoyance once more, but as he looked up in preparation to charge forward, Vegeta had already beat him to it and came flying in. He smashed a right hook against the left side of his student's face. He rapidly followed up with a left hook to the opposite side and then sent his right in once more, this time with a jab. The fist smacked against Noca's nose and the boy found himself falling back a little.

Vegeta moved with great pace once more and grabbed Noca's leg with his left. He spun around rapidly and released the teen's body towards the ground. Noca crashed down with a loud smash. He wasn't down and out just yet though. He leapt up to his feet and was already aching to get back into the thick of it.

The teen shot from the ground, but he no longer had a target. Vegeta phased in to the left of Noca and kicked the boy in the ribs. Noca was propelled towards the wall and connected with it. He opened on of his eyes and saw Vegeta already blazing in his direction. Noca's eyes widened and he had to twist to the side in a effort to avoid any hits.

He felt the fist of the Saiyan Prince brush the back of his head and crunch into the wall. Noca breathed a sigh of relief and backed away from the wall. Vegeta released his fist for the wall as Noca moved into what he believed to be an ideal attacking position. Unfortunately, Vegeta was completely prepared to deal with this situation.

Noca's defence was down and the Prince knew just how to catch him off-guard. Vegeta twisted around and threw a strong barrage of Ki blasts towards the unsuspecting teen. Noca's eyes widened again and just before the blasts came within inches of him, the teen had flashed Super Saiyan, granting him a huge speed increase and he proceeded to dodge or block almost all of the blasts.

I say almost because he had nearly succeeded, until the last blast smashed against his face and knocked him back away. Noca dropped back, shaking his head and was left completely disoriented. He finally managed to clear his eyes of the stinging, but he was only greeted by the sight of his sparring partner.

There was no smirk on Vegeta's face as he flashed Super Saiyan and grabbed the boy around the mouth. Noca could feel the Prince tightening his grip and there was definitely some cracking coming from the boy's jaw. Noca couldn't see what Vegeta planned to do next, so he had no way to defend against any oncoming attacks.

That was clearly apparent when Noca felt a powerful fist connect with his gut. Not once, not twice, but more times than Noca was given chances to keep count. Vegeta was pulling any punches either. Each one hurt more than the last. The Prince was trying to prove a point and Noca was accepting that, but he wouldn't let Vegeta win this little spar.

Noca's aura sparked up around him like a flame on a gas cooker, and Noca powered out an explosive wave that was enough to knock Vegeta away. The Prince had to continue backing off to make sure he kept a good enough distance so that he could reorganise. The only problem with that was the pace at which Noca moved. He charged forward at a surprising pace and was shown to be too fast for Vegeta this time. He shot towards the Prince, but at the last moment altered his direction and moved to Vegeta's side. He then smashed a fist against the side of Vegeta's head and the Prince was sent down towards the ground.

He had to roll through the air a bit to ensure he actually landed on his feet. Noca watched as the Prince touched down on the ground and as soon as that happened the teen powered up and charged in for yet another attack. His blistering pace was almost too much for Vegeta, but the Prince was ready for yet another attack and threw up a strong block. The two connected with an almighty crash and a powerful shock wave rattled the entire Gravity Room. Static fixed through the air and the two Saiyan's remained in their clashed positions for a little bit. They eyed each other up to assess where the other was in terms of power and they both smirked.

" **You still have plenty of power to show me,"** Vegeta stated, still holding a smirk on his face. Noca blinked and chuckled a little.

" **I thought this was just the warm-up,"** the teen Responded. Vegeta liked that response and flipped back away from the teen. Noca did the same thing and made sure to create some space between them. They both landed softly and glared across the room at each other.

The energy started to build up around both of the Super Saiyan's and there was the added appearance of some blue static energy. Both fighters knew what was about to happen and they were prepared for it. What started out as a Spar seemed to have taken them both to the next level…now…they were going one step further.

The energy from both Saiyans flooded the room and their static was immense. They both exploded with energy and became Super Saiyan 2. Noca wasn't completely comfortable with this form, but Vegeta had plenty of time to experience and use this transformation in battle. Noca needed to gain experience with the form and this would be his best opportunity.

The transformations were complete and the two of them were ready to continue. Noca didn't want to wait for Vegeta to take an advantage so he made the first move. He flashed forward and smashed a fist against his opponent's face. Vegeta felt the full brunt of that impact and was propelled to the wall behind him. He slammed against it and fell forward onto one knee. He had managed to stick an arm out to stop himself from collapsing.

" **That was an intense hit…"** Vegeta muttered to himself. He smirked and started to get to his feet. He looked up and saw that Noca had a glared fixed upon his face. Without a moment's thought Noca flashed forward once again, but this time Vegeta manage to get a block up there in time to defend himself. The strength of Noca's hit did make him fall back a little, but he managed to keep his strength and stabilise things.

Vegeta pushed his energy back towards Noca and the Prince manage to open the teen up. He knocked the teens arms away from his centre and then thrust a powerful fist forward into Noca's chest.

The attack knocked the teen off of his feet, but Noca managed to get back onto his feet and levelled out. He didn't waste any time before raising his energy and flying in once again. The teen rushed in with a barrage of punches towards the Prince, but Vegeta avoided the attacks with ease. Noca didn't land a single hit and this was starting to truly frustrate him.

He ended up cancelling his barrage and kicked out, purely out of annoyance. Vegeta ducked under the leg and then grabbed a hold of it. He didn't give Noca any time to think about his next move and instead threw the teen around and smacked him against the wall. Noca felt the pain through his spine, but wasn't given time to adjust when Vegeta plunged a fist into the teens gut.

The Prince then released Noca and let the boy drop to the floor in pain. Noca fell to his knees and slowly started to lift himself up. He didn't need to do that though, not with Vegeta assisting him. The Prince held the teen by the front of his fighting armour and brought him to his feet.

Once Noca was up there Vegeta cracked a powerful punch against his teens students mouth. Noca felt his lips bust and a tooth come loose and then his mouth began to fill with blood. The teen dropped to the floor and upon impact spat out some of that blood. The red liquid splashed on the floor in front of him. Noca saw it and then slowly started to pick himself up off the floor.

Getting to his feet seemed like a task and he felt very dizzy. He stared into Vegeta's eyes and moved forward in an attempt to swiftly punch the Prince into the face. Vegeta was going to step back, but at the same time he lifted his hand and caught the fist with ease. Noca grunted in annoyance, but Vegeta wasn't happy with that failed attempt.

The experienced fighter twisted Noca's arm away and sent a punch plunging into his gut. Noca bent over due to the impact and backed to the wall. He could feel his rage building and had so much of his frustration aimed towards Vegeta. The Prince stood over Noca and didn't even say anything.

Noca straightened up again and glared at his opponent. He moved forward again and attempted to thrust a powerful fist into the Saiyan's stomach, but Vegeta grabbed the fist in a block and easily pushed the boy back against the wall. Noca slid down against the wall, but didn't hit the floor. Vegeta stared at the boy and shook his head. He turned around and started to walk away. Not wanting to put up with him anymore.

" **I'm disappointed. You have severely slacked…"** Vegeta didn't look back as he spoke, he just continued towards the door.

At this point Noca only had one response to Vegeta's ignorance. The teen pushed himself up and threw a Ki blast at the Prince's back, but he had done it with some intense pace. The powerful blast smashed against Vegeta's back and pushed him forward. He swung around and saw Noca was standing strong once again. The Prince smirked and was about to walk back towards Noca, but the teen phased away and flashed in front of Vegeta.

The Prince was shocked by that arrival and wasn't prepared for this second wind. Noca started with a powerful gut punch with his right. Vegeta bent over a little, but Noca's pace seemed to be at a new level. The next attack was a left hook that slammed against Vegeta's face and then the teen followed that with a kick up into the gut. Vegeta lifted up and fell down on the ground hard. He very quickly rolled onto his front and pushed up to his feet. He wasn't ready for Noca this time either. The teen flashed forward and smacked a punch into Vegeta's face. The Prince was hit and he started flipping away.

Noca was already charging in for another attack, but Vegeta managed to bring his guard up in time to defend this time. He pushed his energy back on Noca, breaking the teens block and swung a punch. It cracked against Noca's jaw and the boy started to stumble away. Vegeta wasted no time in continuing his attack and jumped up, kicking both feet out and smacking his attack into Noca's chest.

Noca was lifted off of his feet and sent smacking back into the wall once more. This time he slid down and fell to the ground. He had no energy to get up and continue the fight and Vegeta was done. He brushed himself off and looked down at the boy.

" **Stay down."**

The Prince turned around and headed off towards the door.

Noca moved forward and dropped down onto his front. He clenched both fists and then smashed his hand down on the ground. He was far too disappointed in himself and Vegeta knew this.

" **You need to shape up…focus on your training."**

Vegeta turned back and took a last look at his student and sparring partner.

" **Or risk falling behind."**

Vegeta finally exited the GR and left Noca there on his own. The teen dropped to his base form and stared at the ground. He could see the blood dripping from his face and that told him the truth. The truth that he deserved the pain he could feel. He knew he needed to take his training far more seriously and stop letting the boredom of a calm life get him down.

* * *

The beginning of this New Year was fairly routine as always. Noca and Pan were back at school soon after the celebrations and before long it was time for Pan's birthday. Nothing too special happened on this day. In fact, it was very similar to Noca's birthday. The group of friends just stayed together and had a very chilled and relaxed day and night.

Flash forward a couple of weeks and it was time for Valentines once again. Noca did the exact same thing as the year before. Sure, that sounds boring, but Noca made it clear that he wanted that to be the couple's thing. He enjoyed the idea of spending one night a year along together on the Lookout. It was calm, peaceful and they had the entire World to look over. It was fantastic. The only difference seen this Valentines and last, was that the intimacy in their relationship was growing.

They were starting to feel more confident with what they should do with their hands. This meant that both members of the couple started to roam a little whenever they were in a scenario you would call intimate. The confidence wasn't at its highest level, but it was certainly there and growing.

These things passed by so quickly, yet everyone was surprised that there was yet another birthday. This one was Rei's. It was his first birthday.

 _Friday 21_ _st_ _February Age 794_

This party was definitely going to be a big deal for a couple of people. Specifically, Gohan and Videl. They knew to make a big deal out of their son's first birthday, even if he wasn't going to remember it. They had invited only the closest family members and friends. Rei was going to be the focus of the party and considering he was only young it may have been overwhelming if loads of people had come.

Both Gohan and Videl invited their parents. Chi-Chi wanted nothing but to fuss over her grandson, but she was competing with his grandfather as well. Mr Satan was always loving with his grandchildren. He always had the chance to show his soft side.

Bulma, Vegeta, Trunks and Bra had come as well, even though Vegeta and Trunks weren't that interested in the child. Trunks was just chatting with Goten and Valese most of the time anyway. People were just watching Rei play with his new presents and things with that excited little expression. Noca didn't really take much interest in it all, but he didn't want to show that he was bored. Nobody would like that.

The party seemed to encounter it's first incident when Rei whacked one of his toys in the direction of Trunks. The Lavender haired fighter didn't notice and was hit on the head by a hard toy. He turned to face the baby while rubbing the side of his head.

" **What was that for?"** He questioned, not looking very pleased.

" **I'm sure he was just messing around with you,"** Goten said, chuckling at the incident. Trunks looked at him and scowled. Goten smiled wide, just to annoy him. Videl had taken notice at how ferocious the hit had been though.

" **There was a lot of power in that though…"** She stated, a slightly questioning look lingering on her face for a second. Noca looked at the boy and how happy he was and started to remember what he and Pan had encountered.

" **That one has a lot of energy, he just doesn't know what to do with it,"** Noca explained, still looking in Rei's direction. Vegeta made a scoffing sound and that drew everyone's attention. He certainly didn't want that.

The Prince looked up at everyone watching him and shrugged his shoulders. Clearly not understanding what he had done wrong.

" **Is there something you want to say, Vegeta?"** Bulma asked her husband. Vegeta looked away, but he did have a response.

" **I was just thinking about how strong a fighter he could be with energy like that,"** Vegeta stated, but that managed to provoke a reaction from one of the women in the room.

" **No grandson of mine will be a fighter!"** Chi-Chi said, sternly. Vegeta grunted at that response and turned away again. Bulma stood beside Chi-Chi and made an attempt to calm her down.

" **There certainly is more to life than fighting,"** Bulma said. The statement aimed in Vegeta's direction. Chi-Chi nodded in agreement.

" **Yep, he's going to be a scholar. Just like his Father,"** Chi-Chi said proudly. Gohan sighed at that response and Vegeta turned to face the rest of them again.

" **They are both Saiyan Warriors and should fight, there is no other choice,"** The Prince told them all. Feeling like he had the higher ground. Chi-Chi bit back, trying to push the idea of Rei being a scholar, but someone stood up to silence them.

" **Enough,"** Gohan said sternly. **"I've had enough of people trying to decide my Son's future. He'll do whatever he wants to."**

Everyone looked down, or away. They knew Gohan was talking sense, but this was an argument he had once been at the centre of, after all.

" **Nobody will make his decisions for him…I don't wish for anyone to go through what I did…"**

Everybody nodded in agreement with Gohan, and the mood seemed to have died around them all. It was true, Gohan had gone through far too much, too soon when he was younger and nobody should experience that.

The sombre mood was soon broken when Rei laughed out loud and the tension disappeared.

The party went on, but eventually Noca made his way outside to think and get some air. Vegeta noticed this and followed the teen. He was wondering what could possibly be on his student's mind.

" **What is it?"** Vegeta asked. He stood behind Noca as the teen looked out over the land.

" **It all feels too...normal,"** Noca started. Thinking about what had been going on the past few months. Everything was calm and quiet and it was still so strange. **"I'm scared that something is coming…I feel like I'm helpless to stop it."**

" **I agree that it feels that way,"** Vegeta responded, walking up stand by Noca's side. He placed a hand on the growing Teen's shoulder. **"We can only be prepared for whatever comes."**

Noca nodded and continued to look ahead. For some reason, he hoped that whatever was coming…would come soon.

* * *

 _So, I kind of breezed through a lot in that chapter. This is how I'm going to be handling things like Birthdays, Christmas and stuff like that, from now on. Unless I get some ideas for something I can do in relation to an event then I will do it, but for now, there aren't any._

 _The next arc will be the first of two retellings in this story. Battle of Gods, of course, comes first._

 _I hope you enjoyed this chapter and make that clear by leaving a lovely review, if you have the time._

 _Next Time...Arc II: Battle of Gods - Chapter 4: Super Saiyan God?_


	4. Arc II: Super Saiyan God?

_Here is my take on the Battle of Gods story. Many things have stayed the same, but I feel like I've put enough of my own twist on it and found an appropriate way to work it into my canon. Hope you enjoy._

* * *

 _ **Arc II: Battle of Gods**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 4: Super Saiyan God?**_

Many small moons were scattered through the Lilac Skies of this great planet. The entire was green for as far as the eye could see and the waters all held a purple tint. This was the Sacred Planet of the Supreme Kai, and right now, it was peaceful.

So it seemed.

A crash was heard miles away in the distance and the shaking of the planet was enough to awaken the cranky old Kai.

" **AHH! What are those dimwit Saiyans up to now!"** The Elder-Kai yelled, shooting up from his nap. The Supreme Kai was standing to the side and looking away from his Elder. He froze upon hearing the voice of the Old Kai and turned slowly to face him. **"I was napping."**

" **Sorry, Elder. You know how Goku can be…"** The Supreme Kai mentioned, before turning away to watch the ensuing fight. Goku had decided to remain here on the Supreme Kai's planet since the act of giving Noca his life energy, but he wasn't the only one. Even Noca's relatives had decided to remain here with Goku and the two Kai. Supreme Kai had a house built for them to share and at this current time Emna and Daisy were preparing food for when the men finish their spar. It wasn't the ideal life, but what could they say, they were dead after all.

Goku and Cilu were fighting in their base forms, but in the time Goku had been here he had managed to teach Cilu many techniques and even the ability to go Super Saiyan had emerged. Sure, it usually came from strong emotion, but Cilu had enough time and bad memories to put to use.

They had the biggest space to fight in and didn't have to worry about the consequences, on this planet any damaged automatically repaired themselves within one week.

There was a flash across the sky and Cilu was sent flying down towards the spot where the two Kai were currently situated. The Elder-Kai started to panic and threw his arms up to shield himself, but luckily Cilu managed to flip and stop himself just before hitting anyone. Goku, not thinking about position, threw a Ki blast down towards his Saiyan opponent. That attack caused more panic, but Cilu knocked it away to safety.

Cilu then shot back towards Goku and attempted a strong kick into the Earth-Raised-Saiyan's stomach. Goku narrowly twisted away to avoid and sent his knee crashing into Cilu's own stomach. The older of the full-blooded Saiyans (Cilu) dropped away to gain some distance and a chance to start his attack again. Goku smirked and shot forwards. Cilu threw his guard up and blocked Goku's fist, but the guard was easily broken and the younger of the two had given him self a new opening.

Goku twisted and threw a kick out. The foot crashed into Cilu's chest, but at the precise moment Cilu threw his hands in and caught the foot. There was still impact, but Cilu managed to absorb the damage and hold his position, luckily. It was Cilu's turn to smirk as he twisted the leg, causing Goku to turn and then Cilu began to swing him in an arch. Cilu released Goku from his grip and sent the younger Saiyan flying towards the ground at a great pace.

Goku wasn't that easily subdued and managed to regain focus on the way down, he just didn't anticipate Cilu phasing by his side and smashing a kick against his head. Goku was knocked away and sent flying in another direction. This time he slammed through the tip of a large rock formation and the entire thing started to crack and crumble a little. Goku flipped in the air and repositioned himself, but Cilu then phased in above him and dropped with his fist in a hammer like motion. The difference, Goku anticipated this one.

He dodged back, grabbed the fists and used the momentum that Cilu already had to send the older Saiyan down towards the ground this time. As Cilu was rolling towards the ground, Goku began to charge a reasonably tame Kamehameha. The blue energy wave was fired fairly quickly, but Cilu was equal to it. He repositioned himself and threw a Ki blast up towards it.

Both Ki attacks exploded upon impact and Goku believed he had hit his mark. The air filled with smoke and Goku anticipated something new. Cilu shot out of the cloud and was now staring down on Goku. The younger Saiyan had realised and looked in that direction. Cilu put both his hands forward and began to fire a barrage of attacks down on Goku.

Goku was far too experienced to have actually fallen for this and avoided the blasts, flying towards Cilu at the same time. Cilu noticed and ended the barrage, knowing that he needed to take a defensive viewpoint from this moment on. He had already forfeited the chance to get one up on Goku and the Younger, but more experienced fighter was showing just how truly skilled he was.

Goku flashed towards Cilu and struck a punch deep into his opponent's gut. Cilu bent forward and coughed out saliva, while Goku pulled his arm back before firing it in once more and this time he struck Cilu in the face. The older Saiyan was sent away through the air and had to perform a couple of twists to level himself out. He believed that distance had been gained and he was out of the rough for a second.

That wasn't to be, Goku showed his advanced speed and flashed in front of Cilu once more. The older Saiyan dropped back in surprise, but decided to throw a panicked punch at his opponent. Goku caught the fist and smirked. Cilu too smirked. He hadn't encountered a challenging fight like this one and he was really enjoying it. Go certainly knew how to get the best out of his opponents or sparring partners and Cilu was giving it his all.

He flashed Super Saiyan and pulled his fist away from Goku's grip. He then slashed in with a kick and struck Goku against the chest. The younger Saiyan was ready to embrace a little more of a challenge now. He decided against going Super Saiyan and let Cilu continue his attack.

Meanwhile, the Elder-Kai had left his napping position and started to walk towards the lake. He looked at the rippling water and then up into the sky. He could see a shift in position of one of the moons and knew that something was out of place. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew that it meant a large passage of time had occurred. It reminded him of someone…someone who had also been asleep. Someone you wouldn't want to rudely awaken…

The Elder-Kai turned away to walk back to his nap spot, but then his ears twitched and he turned around quickly. **"No…he can't be awake…it's too early."**

The Supreme Kai was watched the fight between Goku and Cilu unfold, but he too couldn't deny what he just felt. He turned to face the Elder by the lake and instantly teleported over to him.

" **He's awake already?"** The Supreme Kai questioned. The Elder looked down at the rippling water once more and nodded once.

" **Yes he is…but I don't know why? He only need awaken when the balance is at an unfixable state. It's fine right now…"** The Elder mused, out-loud. The Supreme Kai looked at his Elder and contemplated what was being said. Either way, both of them knew that it couldn't be good if he was awake.

* * *

Light-Years away from the Earth there was another Planet with many moons. The Planet was the same as the Sacred World of the Kais in one regard: It was Sacred. Otherwise, it was nothing like any planet in the world. For one…it was shaped like a tree atop an upside down pyramid. Everything in this system was peaceful, quiet.

The planet itself was full of lots of forest like area. There was a lot of green to see and even numerous lakes. It probably had the same landmass as the Sacred World of the Kais, but it was all laid out flat. Inside the temple, located within the upside down pyramid, only one person was moving around. Well, if you could call them a person. He had pale blue skin, a long staff with an orb at the end and a long cloak. He certainly looked godly…and a little feminine.

He started to ascend a large staircase, in complete silence. He has a small smile on his face and his eyes are closed. This strange being knew these stairs and the entire planet better than the back of his hand and when things were this quiet, he couldn't be happier. The Silence was…

BOOM!

Disturbed.

The being's eyes snapped open and some debris started to fall from up above. The godly being looked up and then down as the debris passed and let out a disappointed sigh.

" **He's awake…"**

The being closed his eyes once more, but this time he held a neutral facial expression. He continued to ascend the stairs as a few more crashed and booms were heard. How regular an occurrence was this?

As the being came to the top of the stairs he entered a very large temple like room that had a large bed floating in the air and a huge glass timer in the middle. The problem with the timer, it was smashed and the sand was pouring out onto the ground. The being sighed once more as the bed began to lower. Once it levelled out with the being on the ground, it was shown that no one was in the bed.

Where was the occupant?

" **WHIS!"** A voice called out from high above. The pale blue skinned being looked up at the sound of his name and saw the one he was looking for. A purple skinned cat-like being was there, wearing what looked like an old, tattered night gown. He was hovering in the air, but started to descend towards Whis. **"Where is my breakfast?"**

" **I think the more important question is why are you awake so early, Lord Beerus**?" Whis asked, in his higher-pitched, calm, feminine voice. Beerus shot him an angered look.

" **I have been sleeping for over One-Hundred-Years! IT IS IMPORTANT THAT I HAVE SOME FOOD** ," Beerus yelled and the being, that we could only assume was his servant, or assistant.

" **You are awake nearly Fifty-Years too early. Nothing has happened that has needed you to be awake…the balance is fine. So what is it?"** Whis questioned, genuinely curious as to why he was awake.

" **Food first."**

" **Fine…"** Whis said in a defeated voice as he walked off to prepare something. Beerus raised an eyebrow at this.

" **And where do you think you're going?"** Beerus asked.

" **To prepare you a meal, Lord Beerus,"** Whis replied. The Purple Cat shook his head and walked towards Whis.

" **No, I don't like your food. I want to find a planet with something…delicious,"** Beerus explained, licking his lips at the same time. Whis had taken offence to what Beerus had said about his food, but at least he didn't need to cook now. Whis agreed and tapped his staff. Beerus' clothes changes and he was instead wearing his usual attire. The blue pants and Pharaoh-like clothing.

" **I'll only take you somewhere nice if you promise no more destruction,"** Whis said to his master. Beerus started laughing.

" **But it's my job,"** Beerus started, **"I am the God of Destruction after all."**

Whis rolled his eyes and tapped his staff to open up the teleport portal.

" **And it depends on the quality of the food…"** Was the last thing the God said before the two of them departed.

* * *

The departure of the Gods was enough to get a tremendous reaction from the Elder-Kai. He leapt in the air and fell on his behind, making an almighty yell in the process. The Supreme Kai swiftly turned to face the older Kai and rushed to his side to help him up. He too had felt Beerus leave his sanctuary, and it was almost too shocking to understand. Not only had he been asleep for such a long time, but now he was leaving his planet. Something was out of place.

The Supreme Kai helped his elder return to his feet, but kept a stern expression as he too knew what consequences this may hold.

" **He's on the move…"** The Elder-Kai muttered, finally calming himself. He walked away from the younger Kai and approached the lake once more. He stared at the rippling water and sighed. The Supreme Kai, stood up and followed.

" **Do you have any idea what he could be up to?"** The younger Kai questioned. He had far more experience dealing with Beerus, but his elder understood the Gods far better.

The elder shook his head and looked up into the sky.

" **It doesn't make sense…"** The Elder-Kai's composure suddenly changed and he began yelling at the sky. **"These no-good young Gods have no idea what it's like to watch over this Universe! I have been around far longer than Beerus. He wasn't even born a God! The lousy…"**

" **What's a Beerus?"** An innocent, but grown-up voice said from behind the two Kai.

They both turned around slowly and came face-to-face with the last person they wanted knowing who Beerus was. Goku. They both almost stumbled back at the surprise of him staring at them, but luckily the Supreme Kai managed to stop himself. The Elder-Kai, however, fell into the water.

The younger Kai turned around in shock and started frantically trying to fish out the elder. He managed to grab his hand and pulled the older being out of the water.

" **Don't go asking stupid questions!"** The elder shouted up at the child-like Goku. The Saiyan simply rubbed the back of the head not understanding what he meant.

" **I just wanted to know what a Beerus was...it has to be serious judging by your reactions,"** Goku stated, showing that he wasn't as dumb as he let on. Both Kai gasped and turned away.

" **It's nothing important..."** The Supreme Kai started.

" **God stuff,"** The elder finished. Goku had a defeated look at his face and slumped away. He was back to his child-like ways and walked away from the Kai. Goku was never one to give up so easily, so this was something new for the two Kai to see. They half turned around to see where Goku was going. They knew he wasn't going to let-up on this. He would want to find out what was going on, and he was going to, eventually.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere deep in the Western Quadrant and far away from the Earth, Beerus was…sitting down for a meal?

The so called 'God of Destruction' was sitting down at a rather large table, surrounded by lots of food. Whis standing behind him, looking rather relaxed. Ahead of Beerus was a group of very concerned looking aliens. Clearly inhabitants of whatever planet this was.

" **What is your finest dish, King Muyona?"** Beerus asked in a very low, sinister sounding tone. The King stepped forward. Extended one of his four arms and picked up a dish with what looked like a hunk of meat. He slowly walked towards the God, his arm still extended. He was clearly scared to get too close to this God.

Beerus knew that the King feared him. A small smirk appeared across the God's face and he was prepared to mess with this alien.

" **HURRY UP!"** Beerus yelled at the top of his lungs, almost shaking the entire room just with his voice. The King stumbled forward, but managed to keep the dish intact. He fell to his knees and Beerus looked down at the man with that same smirk. **"Hand me the food."**

The King extended his arms once more and presented the dish to Beerus. The God took it and started eating, almost immediately. He was getting it down rather quickly and the King was shocked to see this. Beerus looked at the King out of the corner of his eye and saw the shock. There was also some clear fear. The God then looked at the group behind the King and they were equally scared, but also seemed to be eager to see what would happen.

Beerus did also notice a sour taste in the dish and put it back down. He didn't look at the King, but instead closed his eyes. The King stood up and backed away.

" **Never before have your dishes had such a sour taste…"** Beerus muttered. The King was speechless. **"You're very lucky I need you."**

Beerus opened his eyes and stood up. The King stepped back and cowered in fear, but hadn't actually paid attention to the God's words. Whis wore an expression of slight confusion at Beerus' choice of words. What could he possibly need this King for?

" **Where is the witch?"**

The King was taken aback by this question and even Whis shifted on his feet a little bit. He moved towards Beerus, but the God had already started to move towards the King.

" **Take me to her."**

The King regained his composure and knew not to deny Vegeta of his request. He stood strong and took a breath.

" **Follow me…"** The King muttered as he turned around and walked towards a hallway. The trio made their way toward a room right at the end. A room shrouded in darkness. The King was visibly worried, but Beerus was calm and composed. Whis, however, was a little more concerned. He hadn't seen Beerus like this. He was determined to see this person now, and it was certainly something new.

The King stood by the doorway and waited for Beerus to pass him. The purple-skinned God looked to the King and then back at the door before slowly advancing. Whis didn't take his eyes off of the God and followed in afterwards. As they stepped into the dark room the door slammed behind them and a few torches, attached to the walls, lit up almost instantaneously. That was when she was revealed.

A green-skinned, blue-haired young woman. She appeared to look in her early 20s, but some of the things that were around her appeared to be so much older. Not that Beerus took any notice of this, but she was very, very beautiful and she certainly knew it. She wore nothing, but a simple gown and there was some visible cleavage. She was clearly not of the same race as the King.

" **Witch…"** Beerus muttered, using this as his greeting. She raised an eyebrow at that choice of word and stood up from her seat.

" **Oh please, Lord Beerus,"** She responded, using a very flirtatious tone, **"You have to refer to me as Princess Amber."**

Beerus scoffed and looked to the side.

" **As I recall the planet of which you were once the princess is no more,"** The God stated in a very confident tone. The Princess' eyes narrowed and she let out a snake-like hissing sound. Showing that she harboured some resentment towards Beerus. The God looked back at her with a smile on his face.

" **What can I help you with?"** She questioned, not really feeling eager to help.

" **I need you to read one of my recent dreams."**

Both of the other beings in the room were very shocked at that request. Princess Amber had never been asked to delve into the mind of a God before, and Whis was shocked that Beerus was letting such a thing happen.

" **What is this about?"** Whis asked, but Beerus didn't pay him any attention. He just stepped forward and sat in the chair in front of her. He still wore that same smile and Princess Amber knew that if she denied a request, Beerus would probably destroy her, but why would she deny it? This was a great opportunity. She sat back in her chair and extended her hands out. She placed one on each side of Beerus' head and closed her eyes. The God did the same.

" **How will I know what to look for?"** She asked.

" **It will be there…it was the reason I woke up, after all."**

Amber continued to search on and eventually found what it was she was looking for. It was a legend of some sort. Some powerful figure stood before her, shrouded in a red energy and sparkling with a light that was…godly. She delved into the past of it and searched for more details. Eventually something flashed in her face and the connection was lost. She sat back in her chair and took a few breaths.

" **Well,"** Beerus started, **"Does it exist?"**

Whis still had no idea what was going on, but eagerly awaited the response of the Princess.

" **Once…a very, very long time ago…"** She replied, almost scared by what she had seen. Whis stepped forward.

" **What did you see?"** He asked. Amber looked up at Whis and then down to Beerus again. Beerus nodded.

" **A very powerful warrior…one…"** She paused and looked to the ground, "One that will rival even the Gods and Guardians."

Beerus stood up and looked down at Amber.

" **I'm not through with you yet, what race was this being?"**

She looked up and seemed to struggle to say the word. It had been a long time since anyone of this race had even been seen in this part of the Galaxy.

" **Saiyan…"** she eventually replied.

Whis raised an eyebrow and Beerus stood there and started to think to himself.

" **I need more information,"** Beerus started, **"Where can I find this Saiyan?"**

Amber smirked and looked up at the Powerful God. She stood up and stared right at him. Her seductive attitude returning.

" **That information is gonna cost ya,"** She said, winking at the God. Beerus seemed very put off by this request glared at the woman.

" **I'm a God. I don't have money,"** He said, very simply. Whis had to stifle a slight chuckle. Amber shrugged her shoulders and turned around.

" **Looks like I'm no longer needed then,"** She said heading towards the door, **"This planet has gotten rather boring anyway."**

She turned back and winked at the two Gods last time before waving and suddenly teleporting away. It took both Whis and Beerus to realise what was happening, but neither of them moved quick enough to stop her from going. Beerus growled in annoyance and Whis just stood there, rather neutral. Beerus looked very angry, but tried to keep it hidden.

The two Gods left the room and were greeted once more, by the King. He still looked rather scared and tried to heap some more praise on the two Gods, but was thankfully ignored. The Gods made their way outside and were preparing to leave, but the King came up to say one more thing.

" **I hope everything went well with your trip to our planet,"** The King stated with a smile on his face. Beerus glared down at the King and his eye twitched a little. The King stepped back, knowing that this was an unhappy Beerus.

" **The witch left me with more questions than I came here with,"** The God grumbled.

" **That's a damn shame, My Lord. What will you do?"** The King asked. Beerus closed his eyes and a smirk appeared on his face.

" **Well, seeing as you tried to poison me with that food you served up…I'll probably destroy your planet."** Beerus said this without wavering in his tone or batting an eye. It just came so natural. The King's jaw dropped and Whis wore an amused smile.

" **You knew about that?"** The King asked, frantically.

" **Of course,"** Beerus replied as he turned around. **"I am a God."**

He finished his sentence and then tapped his foot on the ground once and then, with an almighty blinding flash, the whole Planet vanished from existence. Beerus and Whis were just left there floating in open space.

" **That was messy…"** Whis said, calmly. Beerus ignored that statement and turned to face Whis.

" **Find me that Saiyan."**

Whis nodded and turned to look into the Orb at the end of his long staff. He closed one eye and looked into it as if like a magnifying glass.

" **Hm, there are a few located on a small planet called Earth, but there are three on Supreme Kai's world…"** Whis was very much thrown off by that last bit, as was Beerus.

" **Saiyan…on a Godly world…"** Beerus took a moment to think, "He must be there! Take me at once!"

Whis nodded and held his staff up. A light shone out of it and Beerus placed his hand on Beerus' back.

" **Soon I will discover this…Saiyan God."**

Back on the Supreme Kai planet…

" **OH NO!"**

The Elder-Kai cried out in fear at what he had just seen and that cry of fear was enough to grab everyone's attention.

" **He's coming here! Hide the Saiyans!"** The Elder shouted back to his younger. The three Saiyans and Daisy were all confused by what the Elder meant and didn't bother moving. Goku put his hand behind his head and started laughing.

" **Oh come on, what could be so bad?"** Goku asked, still not feeling any sense of fear. The Elder glared at the ignorant Saiyan.

" **Trust me, you don't need to know, just hide!"** The Elder yelled in Goku's face. The Saiyan stepped back and was still very confused. He just shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Daisy and Emna walked off with him, but Cilu stalled for a second and looked back at the Elder.

There was certainly a lot of seriousness in his eyes. Cilu decided to look towards the Supreme Kai for some sort of answer, but he just nodded to show his agreement with the Elder. Cilu turned around, not sparing any more time, but he was certainly put off by everything that was happening today.

Once Cilu, Goku and the others were out of view, the Supreme Kai walked over to his Elder and had to see what was happening.

" **Are you ok, Elder?"** The Supreme Kai asked the older being. The Elder was looking up at the sky and seemed very focussed. He didn't avert his gaze, but he spoke to his younger with a hushed voice.

" **You sense that, right?"**

The Supreme Kai turned to check that the others were definitely out of sight, and out of earshot. Once that was confirmed he looked back at the Elder.

" **Yes…what do we do?"** He asked the older Kai, but the Elder wasn't even sure. He just continued to stare up at the sky, expecting to see the God arrive.

The Elder opened his mouth to reply the Supreme Kai, but wasn't given that chance when someone suddenly arrived. Both Kai sensed the arrival and froze instantly. Neither wanted to be the first to turn around, for they knew what awaited them.

" **Hello, Kai,"** A deep, formal voice spoke. Once the voice sounded, both Kai finally found their confidence and turned around to see Beerus and Whis both standing there. Neither of them could find the right words. **"Why are you keeping Saiyans here?"**

The Elder-Kai took a step back and became super defensive.

" **Saiyans? What Saiyans? We don't have Saiyans here…"** The Elder rambled, hoping Beerus would believe him, but it was truly a lost cause.

" **Well, Whis here tells me you have a few Saiyans here. I need to speak with them,"** Beerus spoke with a calm intensity and that certainly intimidated the two Supreme beings.

Whis nodded and turned around to face behind Beerus.

" **I believe they are hiding in that small hut over there,"** Whis informed Beerus, pointing using his staff. Beerus turned around and a smile crept across his face.

" **Come on out, Saiyans!"** Beerus yelled, hoping to grab their attention. And it worked. Goku and Cilu stepped out first, followed by the women, but considering they weren't fighters, they stayed back and let the two men go forward. Beerus seemed to get a little excited at seeing the two Saiyans, but did his best not to show it.

Once the Saiyans got close enough to Beerus it was clear who was the more serious of the two, and that was Cilu.

" **What do you want from us?"** He asked, acting very defensive. Goku was calm and relaxed and that drew Beerus' attention.

" **I am Beerus, I just have a few questions,"** Beerus responded, not taking his eyes off of Goku. The younger of the two male Saiyans stepped forward and had a wide smile on his face.

" **We're happy to help,"** Goku replied. Beerus raised a brow.

" **What do you know about the Saiyan God, or rather…the Super Saiyan God?"** Beerus finally asked, getting shocked responses from both Saiyans.

" **A Super Saiyan God?"** Goku questioned with in a semi-excited tone. Cilu looked to Goku and then started to think.

" **I've never heard the term before,"** Cilu replied, crossing his arms and staring at the ground. Beerus closed his eyes and took a breath. Whis could tell he was getting annoyed and knew to keep things moving along.

" **I guess we could travel to the Earth and see Vegeta,"** Whis suggested.

" **The King?"** Beerus questioned. Whis shook his head.

" **No, Prince Vegeta."**

Cilu looked up and wondered to himself.

" **What could you want with my Cousin?"** Cilu asked. Only one person reacted to this question, and that was Goku.

" **Vegeta's your Cousin?"** Goku asked, almost quite childishly. Cilu looked to the side and nodded.

" **Yes…does that matter?"** Cilu asked.

" **No…I just didn't realise Noca and Vegeta were related,"** Goku said, folding his arms and thinking to himself. Beerus watched this happen and was getting all the more frustrated. He turned around and began to walk away.

" **Come on Whis, let's just head to Earth,"** Beerus told his servant.

" **Right away,"** Whis said, preparing his staff for transport.

" **Wait!"** A voice called out, stopping the God. Beerus sighed and turned to see that Goku had stepped forward. The God didn't say anything and waited to see what this Saiyan had to say.

" **I want to fight you,"** Goku finally said.

The Elder-Kai yelled in shock and suddenly fainted. Beerus stepped forward and stared into Goku's eyes.

" **You challenge the God of Destruction?"** Beerus questioned.

" **The what?"** Goku questioned, tilting his head to the side, **"No, I'm challenging you."**

Beerus sweat-dropped for a second, but shook it off and a smirk crossed his mouth. **"I…am the God of Destruction."**

Goku was shocked and shook his head.

" **Oops, sorry about that,"** Goku responded, chuckling afterwards. Cilu, meanwhile, was surprised.

" _ **The God of Destruction?"**_ He thought to himself.

" **I want to test my skills against a God,"** Goku said, cracking his knuckles, **"The old Kai was scared of you coming here, I wanna see why."**

Beerus closed his eyes and nodded.

" **Fine. Let's see what you have…"** Beerus accepted, opening his eyes and narrowing them to show his seriousness, **"Saiyan."**

Goku's expression changed but he still held that smirk. He was extremely serious now and this meant he was going to put his full skill into this.

" **I don't want to hurt you though, so I'll hold back,"** Goku told the God. He truly believed he was being friendly, but that wasn't the case. It just came off as arrogant and over-confident. Beerus laughed out loud and shook his head.

" **Don't worry, that won't be necessary,"** Beerus told his opponent. Goku was surprised by this response. He held a questioning look for a second, **"I can take all of your power."**

Goku closed his eyes and a small smirk formed across his face. He took a couple of steps towards Beerus and stood straight. Beerus tilted his head to the side and he had a look of wonder. Goku opened his eyes and as he did a burst of energy blew out, and with one flash Goku became a Super Saiyan. Beerus raised a brow and wondered what could come from this sudden transformation.

This wasn't the God form that he wanted to witness, but the fact that Goku had transformed showed Beerus that there was a possibility of finding that form. Beerus didn't bother to move forward, or even take his hands from behind his back. He was exerting his overconfidence and waited for Goku to make the first move.

The Saiyan believed that Beerus was just being arrogant and decided to call the God's bluff. At least that's what he expected to do. Goku powered forward at a bursting pace. It was intense and everyone knew that Goku meant business. The Supreme Kai wanted to look away. He was dreading this.

Goku swung his fist towards Beerus' face, he had even decided to hold back a little, but surprisingly Goku didn't connect with anything. In fact, Beerus wasn't even standing there anymore. Goku stopped and turned around to see that the God was standing a few inches to the left of his previous position. The Saiyan was definitely shocked by that show of speed, he hadn't even seen the God move.

Beerus didn't turn around to face Goku and instead kept his attention focused ahead. Goku swung around completely and darted back towards the God. The Saiyan threw his fist towards the back of Beerus' head, but the attack struck thin air as the God vanished. Goku stumbled forward a bit, but quickly flipped and turned back, expecting Beerus to be there again. Instead, there was nothing. Goku didn't drop his stance or defence. He had to be prepared for whenever Beerus decided to finally attack him.

That wasn't to happen anytime soon. The God appeared behind the Saiyan and that was enough to shock Goku into moving quickly. The Saiyan leapt forward and rapidly turned to throw a Ki blast towards the God. Beerus had already vanished and the blast was sent soaring straight away.

The Elder-Kai was just sitting up after fainting, but wasn't expecting to see a Ki blast flying towards him. The blast crashed into his face and knocked out the Elder, once again.

Goku straightened up and looked around a little. He couldn't even sense Beerus' energy and that truly worried him. He cursed to himself, but as he faced forward Beerus appeared suddenly and was a little too close to the Saiyan. Goku stepped back and threw his fist towards Beerus' face, but all the God needed to do to avoid this one was move his head to the side. Goku believed he had been given an opportunity and attempted a gut punch with his free had, but Beerus vanished again and that frustrated the experienced Saiyan.

This God seemed unbeatable, but Goku wasn't one to give up when things looked bleak, and that's precisely what worried the Supreme Kai. Beerus suddenly appeared again and started scratching his nose. He made sure to keep distance between he and Goku this time, but that wasn't going to last long.

The Saiyan decided to throw a strong barrage of Ki attacks, but he had to try something new. None of his physical attacks had connected so he had to try his Ki attacks. Beerus cracked his neck to the side and put his hands behind his back once more. He danced around all of the oncoming blasts and dodged them like they were nothing. When the last one was coming in he decided to bat that one back towards Goku, using his tail.

Goku had to avoid the blast, but immediately after doing so, Beerus appeared behind him again. Goku didn't notice right away.

" **You're far too slow,"** Beerus mentioned, causing Goku to react and attempted to kick out. His attack, once again, missed and Beerus had already moved away. Goku jumped away to gain distance and think about his next plan.

" **You're too strong..."** Goku muttered, but he had smirk on his face, **"This really is a challenge."**

Goku moved into a power-up stance and started to increase his power far more. The energy burst around him once more and soon the blue static sparks were fizzing around his body. Goku's hair also grew in length and he was taking it to his top level. Goku had become a Super Saiyan 3.

He stood strong and looked over to Beerus, a smirk on his face.

" **Let's see how you handle a Super Saiyan 3,"** Goku threatened, his voice noticeably deeper. The Saiyan wasted little time before charging forward again. He powered ahead and aimed a kick for Beerus face, but the God was way ahead of it. He simply stepped to the side and ducked underneath the attack. Goku's kick carried on and crashed into the ground behind Beerus. There was a lot of power in that kick and it was enough to shake and crack the ground. The others started to wobble on their feet, aside from Whis.

Beerus was clearly getting bored and this was shown when he started pretending to yawn. Goku didn't take too kindly to that action and turned to charge for Beerus. The God started to back up, higher into the sky, drawing Goku with him. The Saiyan was showing his instinct to go for it all and wasn't going to give in. Beerus and Goku levelled out, but the God swiftly turned and charged back for the ground. Goku was frustrated by all the moving around and lack of attacking Beerus was doing, and he was going to try something else.

He cupped his hands to his right and started to channel his energy.

" **Kame…"**

Beerus touched down on the ground and looked back up at his opponent, a smirk on his face. Goku was in serious mode.

" **Hame…"**

Beerus stared right towards Goku and the blast, his expression not changing and Goku was tired of it. He had far too much confidence in this move.

" **HA!"**

Goku screamed as he fired that energy wave down upon his Godly opponent and had faith that this was the one to end the battle. Or at least cause Beerus to take things seriously. The wave was headed straight for Beerus and the God didn't look like reacting. Goku could feel his hopes getting up, but soon all of those would be dashed in an instant.

And they were.

Beerus simply moved his arm and as the blast came within inches off his face it had already been swatted away like a small insignificant bug. You could see the hope all disappear from Goku's eyes as his blast soared into the distance and exploded. Goku cursed and clenched both his fists.

Goku's speed had still increased and he decided to charge for Beerus once more. The Saiyan was charging right towards Beerus, but the God was so fast that he managed to move past Goku and tap him on the shoulder, causing the Saiyan to get panicked and stall himself. Goku rolled through the air and suddenly brought himself to a halt. He turned around, but as he did Beerus' tail was already swatting at his face and Goku was fired towards the ground and such a furious pace.

The Saiyan smashed down, causing the ground to crater, but he didn't stop there, he continued to slide further away due to the sheer amount of power Beerus had used, but it didn't even look like anything had been done. It was just a simple swat of a tail and Goku was almost put out of commission. The Saiyan eventually stopped and had to wipe some blood off of his face. He attempted to stand and charge forward again, but Beerus was already there staring down at him.

Goku couldn't move. He was paralysed with shock. Beerus smirked as he held his hand up and simply flicked the all-powerful Super Saiyan in the face. Goku was propelled into the ground from such a close range, but with the sheer amount of power Beerus had at his disposal Goku was sent down into the ground.

Beerus had to reach down and lift the Saiyan up. He brought Goku to eye level and stared at him, a smirk still written on his cat-like face. Goku managed to open one eye, but as he did his power reverted back to normal. Beerus threw Goku away and turned around.

" **You're no God,"** Beerus said as he turned around, only for Cilu to step forward and flash Super Saiyan. Beerus couldn't help but chuckle at this attempt. He closed his eyes and phased behind Cilu, sending a chop to the back of his neck and knocking him out immediately. Cilu crashed down on the ground as Beerus turned away and walked over to Whis.

" **Thanks for the hospitality, Kai,"** Beerus said dryly. **"But we must head off..."**

Beerus turned and sent an evil grin towards the Kai.

" **I must find the Super Saiyan God."**

Beerus and Whis left without another word and the rest of Supreme Kai's planet was left in silence.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Don't forget to review!_

 _Next Time...Chapter 5: A Prince is not a God_


	5. Arc II: A Prince is not a God

_Hey guys. Here's the last Chapter before Christmas. Hope you all have a good one (if you celebrate it). Enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 5: A Prince is not a God**_

 _Monday 18_ _th_ _August Age 794_

" **WHERE IS HE?!"**

The shrieking yell sounded from the centre of the Capsule Corp. compound and could be heard throughout the halls of the main building. Bulma couldn't find Vegeta, and on today of all days…she was rather nettled.

" **I'm sure he's somewhere…calm down, Bulma,"** Gohan tried pleading with the woman, but she was having none of it. She barged past the Demi-Saiyan and stormed through the halls, searching every room for her Husband. She had already checked the Gravity Room and he wasn't there, so this was a confusing one.

" **How hard is it to be here for your own Wife's birthday?"** Bulma questioned out-loud. Her guests had already arrived and everything was set-up for a fun birthday party, but she wanted her husband there by her side. It's just a pity she married Vegeta. He'd never be one for festivities like this, and after all the time they've been together you'd have thought Bulma would get that by now. But no, she was forever hoping to change the way Vegeta would behave. They were both very stubborn like that.

Outside, the guests were all waiting for Bulma to return. Luckily they were all Bulma's closest friends so they knew she wouldn't mind them getting on with it without her. Krillin, Yamcha and Master Roshi all decided to get to the alcohol quickly. Majin Buu was already stuffing his face with as much food as possible, with Mr Satan there to look after him. Despite going off with Uub, he did regularly visit Mr Satan, so Bulma made sure to invite him to her Birthday party. He was a friend after all.

Uub hadn't attended, but didn't say why. Noca and his friends were all there and they were hanging out by themselves, away from the adults.

" **Where do you suppose your Dad is?"** Kiera asked Bra. The Blue-Haired teen was looking rather relaxed despite the way her Mother had been acting.

" **He's like this every year,"** Bra explained, **"He just doesn't like parties and things. He's usually in the GR though."**

Noca saw that Bra looked very questioning about that fact. It's true that Vegeta would escape to the GR if he got the chance, but Bulma would normally be able to get him out eventually. This time he was no where to be found and that was a little confusing. The difficult thing for Noca…he knew where Vegeta was.

Pan was staring at Noca and could tell her was hiding something. She just didn't know how best to get it out of him. She did consider just asking him where Vegeta was, but Noca could just deny that he knows anything. Would he really lie to her though?

Pan found herself staring at Noca and wondering just what he might know. It wasn't really a huge mystery, Vegeta really didn't enjoy parties so the fact that he was avoiding it today wasn't news to anyone. Noca turned to notice Pan was staring right at him and this made him feel slightly awkward. She held such a scanning expression that Noca was beginning to get a bit worried.

" **You ok, Pan?"** Noca asked, wanting to see why she seemed concerned. He gave her a small smile and Pan had to shake herself back to reality.

" **Yeah…just thinking about something,"** Pan wasn't lying. She was thinking about something, but she just didn't want to tell Noca what it was. She didn't want to come off as accusing. Noca had a questioning look and wanted to press further.

" **Is it something important, maybe I can help?"** He asked, but Pan seemed to feel a little conflicting. Noca's brow furrowed and he continued to think about this.

" **It's fine. Nothing important,"** Pan replied, smiling back at Noca. The boy didn't know what to say in response to that so he just returned to the conversation with the rest of their friends.

The rest of the guests continued to enjoy the party, despite Bulma not returning just yet. Nobody seemed worried about her though. The worry was more directed towards Vegeta. Nobody envied what would happen to him when Bulma found him. Sure, she couldn't hurt him, but as his wife, Bulma did have ways to get on his nerves.

Soon enough, Bulma did return to her own party and was feeling rather defeated, but she didn't let it show.

" **Hey guys, I hope you're enjoying my Party,"** Bulma said with a smile on her face. Everyone said happy birthday to her, but someone would say the wrong thing, and inevitably…it was Yamcha.

" **Couldn't find Vegeta, eh?"** The former fighter said in a questioning tone. Bulma shot him a very dark glare and Yamcha seemed to lose all his confidence and slowly backed away. Bulma started to act as if she didn't care about Vegeta not being there.

" **So what if he didn't want to come to his own wife's party. I'm sure he has so many interesting things to do."**

Everyone assured Bulma that Vegeta did care and would probably show up a little later. Maybe. Probably not.

Finding some time to get away for a second, by lying about needing to go to the bathroom, Noca decided he best go check on a certain Saiyan. Noca made his way to the bathroom, placed two fingers to his head and focused on Vegeta's location. Sure, no one could sense his power level, but Noca knew where Vegeta was so he was one-up on everyone else.

Noca vanished from the bathroom and reappeared somewhere completely different. The Lookout.

" **Hey Dende,"** Noca said as he appeared. The Namekian Guardian turned around and greeted Noca.

" **Good to see you again,"** Dende greeted. Noca nodded and walked towards the main building.

" **Is he still in there?"** Noca asked, keeping things subtle. Dende looked at Noca and nodded. **"I'm gonna head in there."**

" **Ok, just make sure he doesn't break anything,"** Dende said in a semi-panicked state. Noca smirked at Dende and entered the main building.

Meanwhile, back at the party, the teens were all sitting together a talking. Nobody really noticed how long Noca had been gone for until someone spoke up.

" **Hey, Noca's been gone a while?"** Holline said in a questioning tone. Pan looked up and tried to sense for his energy, but felt it very far away.

" **He…he left,"** Pan stated. She stood up and focused her senses. She really wanted to know what was going on and searched as hard as she could, but just as she started to zero in on a location…Noca's energy completely disappeared. Pan was shocked by that. She opened her eyes and the others noticed there was a problem.

" **What is it?"** Bra asked.

" **His energy…it just disappeared…"** Pan answered, not bothering to turn around and face her friends.

" **What the hell is going on?"** Bra questioned, in a fairly angered tone.

Back up at the Lookout, Noca had just entered a room of complete emptiness. It was white…there was nothing to see. Noca continued forward and ventured further into the void. What would he encounter?

Noca was forced to stop in his tracks when there was a fairly huge explosion far in the distance. Noca wasn't surprised, but he did decide to wait to see exactly what the Saiyan Prince was up to. There were a few more explosions, but nothing to be concerned about. Vegeta was in here on his own by the way, so there was of course not trouble. That's right, absolutely nothing could be negative in this moment.

Vegeta had just finished practising his Final Flash when he heard a loud, angry voice in his head.

" **HELLO! VEGETA?"** And old voice yelled. Vegeta came to a complete halt and had to shake his head.

" **What the hell is that? Who are you?"** Vegeta yelled out. In the distance Noca heard what Vegeta said and was ever so slightly concerned, so he decided to head forwards.

" **It is I, the Elder Kai,"** The Elder Kai confirmed. Vegeta groaned in annoyance and descended to the ground.

" **This better be really damn good?"** Vegeta mumbled.

" **Hello, Vegeta?"** Another voice sounded. Clearly the Supreme Kai.

" **Why are you both in my head?"** Vegeta asked, **"You have Kakarot there, what do you want with me?"**

" **Vegeta, this is important…how much do you know about Beerus, the God of Destruction?"** The Supreme Kai questioned. Vegeta wracked his brain to find a mention of the name, but wasn't doing too well.

" **Should I know anything?"** Vegeta asked, just as Noca stopped by Vegeta's side. He was confused, but didn't interrupt. Vegeta turned and acknowledged the teen. Noca had no idea what was going on, but hoped Vegeta would explain it to him at some point.

" **Not much…he was asleep for a very long time** ," The Supreme Kai replied, before continuing. **"He's interested in Saiyans and came here to fight Goku and Cilu…both are down."**

" **What? Kakarot lost?"** Vegeta said, shocked. Noca reacted, but still had no idea what was going on at the other end. **"Is that fool slacking with his training?"**

" **No, Beerus is far too powerful. He's coming to Earth to see you next…he wants to know about a Super Saiyan God?"** The Supreme Kai continued, with a very questioning tone. Vegeta raised and eyebrow and looked to Noca.

" **A Super Saiyan God?"** Vegeta said, also completely questioning. Noca just shrugged his shoulders. **"What shall I do?"**

" **Just don't get on his nerves…please. Whatever you do, don't make him angry**!" The Supreme pleaded with the Prince. Vegeta seemed fairly worried now and didn't know the best way to react. He just accepted what the Supreme Kai was saying and then the connection severed.

Vegeta turned around immediately and started to head towards the door. Noca was fairly bemused.

" **Wait, Vegeta, what's going on?"** Vegeta didn't answer. Noca rushed after him, but didn't question anymore. He just saw the intensity in Vegeta's eyes and knew that whatever had been said was serious.

The two of them exited the room and were about to blast away from the Lookout, but Noca reminded him about instant transmission. Noca locked on to the first Power Level he could find, but didn't think before he teleported.

Noca and Vegeta reappeared at Capsule Corp., but of all places they could show up…it was right in front of Pan and her friends. Noca was very wide-eyed out of shock of how stupid he had been and Vegeta then turned to face his student with a look of disgust. Noca winced a little at his mistake, but he had reacted too early, Vegeta still decided to hit him over the side of the head.

" **Ok, I deserved that,"** Noca said in response to that hit. Pan stood up from her seat and glared at Noca.

" **Where did you go?"** She asked, very sternly. Noca put a hand behind his head and tried to think.

" **I went to get Vegeta…"** He answered, hoping it was enough.

" **And why did you know where Vegeta was?"** Pan asked, thinking more about the situation. Noca didn't actually know what to say in response to that and instead looked at Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince had a look of pure anger on his face and he was shaking his head. Noca looked back and Pan and behind her he could see Bulma storming their way.

" **Oh shit…"** Noca mumbled. Vegeta didn't take his eyes off of Noca and he was very angry about he situation he had been thrust into. Everyone was looking at the two Saiyans and wondering just where they had been. Bulma stopped right in front of her husband and his…cousin.

" **Where were you Vegeta?! And why were you in on this, Noca?"** She questioned in a very interrogating manner. Vegeta turned around and walked away.

" **I don't have time for this,"** Vegeta simply said as he made his way back towards the main building. Bulma was fairly shocked by this reaction and was preparing to yell at him, but noticed Noca looking back at Vegeta and back to Bulma.

" **You aren't walking away from me as well,"** Bulma told him, in a parental manner. Noca wasn't about to walk away from Bulma, she was far too much like a Mother to him. Noca just gave up and stayed there. Vegeta continued to walk towards the building and thought about this 'God of Destruction' and 'Super Saiyan God.' What could it be about?

" **Why would someone like you be taken down by a simple human woman?"** A voice called out from somewhere. Vegeta started to look around for the voice and his eyes eventually fell upon two beings and they certainly looked godly. **"You are the Prince of Saiyans, right?"**

Vegeta was frozen in his position. He was the only person who could see these guys right now and hoped that no one came along and said or did something stupid.

" **I…who…what?"** Vegeta's words were gone and he was actually fairly concerned for what was coming.

" **From what I've heard from Whis here, you are meant to be quite the fighter and a very strong willed man, but I'm looking at a scared Saiyan Prince. That's disappointing…Vegeta."**

" **He…he knows my name?"** Vegeta questioned in his mind. He really didn't know what to say.

" **Well, let's just get onto the main point…do you know what a Super Saiyan God is?"** Beerus questioned, not wasting anymore of his precious time. Vegeta finally swallowed and decided to answer, hoping the God would just leave them alone.

" **No…I don't,"** Vegeta answered.

Back towards the party, Noca could feel Vegeta's fear and that was something extremely worrying. He turned away from everyone and looked towards Vegeta. He was frozen in place and looking behind a set of bushes. Everyone noticed that Noca also had a very worried expression and wanted to know what was happening.

Bulma started to walk forward and wondered why everyone was acting this way.

" **What's going on over there?"** Bulma called out. Vegeta turned around in shock and started to panic. She finally made it to Vegeta's side and noticed the two Gods. "Well who are these lovely gentlemen?"

Vegeta didn't respond and remained frozen.

" **Well Vegeta, don't be rude…introduce us,"** Beerus instructed the Saiyan Prince.

" **Uh…right, Bulma, this is Beerus and…"** Vegeta looked towards Whis and wondered what his name was.

" **My name is Whis,"** Whis confirmed.

" **Yes, Whis, how could I forget?"** Vegeta said in a very over-the-top friendly voice. He even added an awkward chuckle to the end.

" **Well, no sense in keeping them behind the bushes, come and join my birthday party!"** Bulma invited excitedly.

" **Don't mind if we do,"** Beerus said, walking forward. He seemed to be acting very polite as did Whis and this shocked Vegeta. Noca rushed to Vegeta's side and needed to know what was happening.

" **Vegeta, who are these guys? Is this anything to do with what happened in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?"** Noca questioned, feeling very out of the loop.

Vegeta didn't react, all he did was watch as Beerus walked over and introduced himself to all of their friends and family. Vegeta started to clench his fist and Noca noticed this. The teen stepped back and wanted to say something else, but didn't know how to phrase anything. Luckily, Vegeta soon found his words.

" **That…God…managed to beat Kakarot,"** Vegeta said through gritted teeth. Noca was surprised by that statement.

" **Wait, Goku's down?"** The teen questioned, not believing Goku could be taken down so easily. **"What…are we meant to fight him?"**

" **No,"** Vegeta replied, rapidly. **"We can't fight him…the Supreme Kai seemed scared."**

" **What do we do then? We can't just let him walk around like he owns the place,"** Noca said, getting fairly defensive, but Vegeta was quick to correct him.

" **Yes he can, he's the God of Destruction,"** Vegeta stated. Noca stopped and turned slowly to face Vegeta. The Prince looked at his student and nodded to confirm he wasn't kidding. Noca looked back towards Beerus and started to wonder what would happen now.

" **Um…what can we do to make sure that he leaves soon?"** Noca asked.

" **We just have to make sure he doesn't get angry…"** Vegeta said. It sounded like a simple task, but it was going to be anything but simple. Vegeta was keeping his eyes on the God, but was taken by surprise when Beerus called out for him.

" **Vegeta, come and bring me the finest dish that these people serve,"** The instruction was said in such an unthreatening way, but Vegeta was still fearful about what things Beerus would be capable of. The Prince rushed off to the Buffet table and grabbed as much food as he thought Beerus would want. Just as Vegeta turned to rush back, another voice spoke.

" **Don't forget me, please,"** Whis said, calmly. Vegeta nodded and rushed to grab more food. He then basically sprinted to the table with all that food and set it down in front of the two Gods.

" **I hope you enjoy this food…uh…sirs,"** Vegeta wasn't used to being in this position and was sweating from the fear. Beerus smirked up at the Prince and started to smell the food.

" **Well, it certainly smells edible…what shall I try first?"** Beerus said, turning to face Whis. Bulma came forward and recommended the Sushi. Both Whis and Beerus looked at it with a sense of wonder, but they were open minded people and tried it straight away. Everyone waited to see their reactions, but only one person was worried about their response, that was Vegeta.

For the Prince, it seemed like an eternity passed before the reaction came. Amazingly, the reaction was an extremely ecstatic one. Whis put his hands to his face and closed his eyes.

" **This is a delightful food. I can't wait to see what else you Humans have cooked up!"** He said in a very impressed tone. Beerus had wide eyes and a large grin on his face. He quickly began to scoff down as much of the food that was in front of him and loved every bit of it. Vegeta breathed a sigh of relief and walked away to watch from a distance.

Once they had finished eating, Beerus decided to go and talk to the others and actually enjoy himself at this party. It had been a while since he had been able to have fun, other than when he was destroying things. Whis meanwhile, stayed in his seat and was talking to the women and was even given the chance to hold little Rei.

Vegeta kept his eye on the purple-skinned God and was beginning to feel a little more relaxed about what was going on. Noca also decided to keep an eye on everything, but not as intently as Vegeta was.

As time passed, Bulma came out and told everyone the dessert was ready. Beerus didn't notice because he was busy listening to Yamcha brag about his former Baseball career. Whis was given the chance to try some pudding though and he found it wonderful. Beerus eventually finished his conversation with Yamcha and walked over to see what Whis was doing.

" **What is this food that you're now eating?"** Beerus asked, eyeballing the almost empty pudding cup. Beerus started to lick his lips. **"It looks…creamy."**

" **Oh, it's wonderful, it's called pudding,"** Whis responded as he finished the last of his. "But I'm not sure if there are any more."

Beerus had a wide-eyed response to that and looked around to see if he could spot another cup of dessert. He rushed over to one that he thought was full, but was disappointed to see it was empty. Whis had stood up and followed the God, that was when he spotted some.

" **Oh, Beerus, there's some over there with the Pink one,"** Whis said as he pointed over at Majin Buu. The big pink being had an entire tray of pudding and working his way through them very quickly. Beerus walked over and in his most polite tone…

" **Excuse me, I see you have plenty of Pudding. I was wondering if you would spare one for me?"**

Majin Buu took a single look at the God and a frown crossed his face. Beerus didn't know what to make of the response and held his hand out to show that he wasn't just asking, he was requesting it. Buu looked at the hand and whacked it away.

" **No! All pudding Buu's!"** The big Majin yelled, getting rather irritated by Beerus' presence. Buu started to work through his Pudding a lot quicker than before. Beerus clenched his fists and moved in to grab one.

" **You have plenty, just give me one!"** Beerus yelled.

" **NO!"** Buu screamed as he scoffed down all but one of the pudding cups. Beerus grabbed onto that one and was about to take a bite.

" **Now, was that so hard to do?"** Beerus questioned as he lifted the spoon to his mouth. Buu started to get angry and stood up. He decided to head-butt Beerus in the back and everyone watched as Beerus lost his grip on the cup and spoon and they began to fall to the ground. The cup landed and spilled everywhere. Beerus continued to stare at it with a look of pure disappointment. He didn't know how to react to it. His hand was twitching a little bit and everyone could tell he was angry.

Vegeta had run over and was looking rather worried.

" **Bulma, do we have any more pudding?"** He asked, quickly. Bulma shook her head.

" **Unfortunately that was all we had, sorry about that,"** Bulma replied. Beerus straightened up and turned around to face the big Majin. Buu still looked rather angry, but he wasn't going to do anything more. As far as he was concerned he had won.

" **You…you stupid, annoying…FAT BLOB!"** Beerus screamed in Buu's face. Buu was certainly upset by that statement and started to step back. This only started to make him a lot angrier.

" **You call Buu fat…I'll make you hurt!"** Buu yelled back and threw a fist at the God. Beerus moved out of the way and sent a Punch deep into Buu's gut, lifting him into the air. He then phased and grabbed Buu by his antennae. The God wasn't even taking a moment to think, he had been annoyed. He was enraged and he was going to take it out on Buu. He started to swing Buu in a circle just by his antennae and then let go, letting him sail towards the ground.

The Majin smashed down into the dirt and managed to crater it a little.

Beerus had a cold glare on his face. He was prepared to continue heading towards Majin Buu and laying a strong beating on him, but was taken by surprise when a Ki blast hit him in the side of the head. Beerus turned, shocked that he had let himself get distracted. The person that had managed to hit him was the Lavender-Haired Trunks.

" **Stop causing trouble at my Mom's birthday!"** Trunks yelled, flashing Super Saiyan and throwing more Ki blasts towards the God. Beerus avoided them with complete ease. He then phased away and reappeared next to Trunks, about to chop him at the side of the neck, but he was distracted by a weak punch against the side of his head.

Beerus turned slowly to see a Black-Haired man, it was Goten. Beerus smirked and smacked a fist into Trunks gut and swung a kick into Goten's face. The Black-Haired Saiyan was sent soaring, but Trunks quickly moved and stopped Goten from hitting anything.

" **You ok, buddy?"** Trunks asked. Goten shook off the pain and straightened up. He went Super Saiyan and both of them charged towards Beerus, intending to do give it their best shot at knocking Beerus back. They had no idea how powerful he would be, but they won't give up easily.

Vegeta stepped up and tried to call out for Goten and Trunks to give up with their ridiculous attempts. That wasn't going to help. Both Goten and Trunks were already completely focussed on attacking the angered God and they decided that taking him at the same time would be a great strategy. Goten aimed high and Trunks aimed low, but both Saiyans missed when Beerus moved out of the way at an intense speed. They were shocked by the sheer pace that the God moved.

Goten turned around only to be greeted by the fist of Beerus. The younger of the two Saiyans was propelled towards the ground at a tremendous rate and Trunks was fairly panicked by this. He attempted to thrust a fist into Beerus' gut, but the God turned to the side and let Trunks waste a little more energy. He started throwing a barrage of attacks only for Beerus to dodge all of them.

" **WHY. CAN'T. I. HIT. YOU."** Trunks yelled as he continued to throw punch after punch. Beerus was still angered, but was starting to calm down as he continued to tease these two Saiyan fighters.

Trunks thrust a powerful fist forward, but Beerus easily stopped it with his foot and pushed the man away. Trunks backed off and growled from annoyance. He started to power up an intense blast and thrust it forward in the hopes of knocking Beerus out of the sky, but the God simply knocked it away. Trunks cursed in disappointment as Goten re-joined his side.

" **What shall we do?"** Goten asked. Trunks grit his teeth and kept his glare focussed towards Beerus.

" **I don't know…"** The Lavender-Haired men replied simply, **"He's just too powerful…too fast."**

Goten looked at his best-friend and then towards Beerus. They both hovered there for a second and then an idea instantly clicked in their minds. They increased the distance between each other a little and then began the ritual.

" **Fu…sion…HA!"** Both Saiyans said at the same time before touching fingers and merging.

" **Once again, the hero of the hour returns! Gotenks!"** The fused fighter screamed before charging forward and aiming a barrage of punches towards Beerus' face. Beerus caught the fist with complete ease and pulled Gotenks' arm out of the way, giving him an opening. He simply punched Gotenks in the chest and the fused fighter began to glow, ending with a very shocking turn of events.

Goten and Trunks split apart and neither of them were Super Saiyans anymore. They looked at each other, with very questioning looks and started to get very worried. Beerus then thrust forward hitting Trunks in the face with a crunching kick and then wrapping his tail around Goten's throat. He started to choke the Saiyan man, but was once again caught off-guard by a blast hitting him from a different direction and this one managed to knock him off balance for a second.

Beerus released Goten and the Saiyan fell to the ground. Trunks was also out of commission. Beerus turned around and saw that the Namekian had decided to step up and fight.

" **Let's see what you're truly made of!"** Piccolo said, removing his cape and turban. He flexed his muscles and cracked his neck. Beerus smiled and then phased right in front of Piccolo. The Namekian was knocked back by the sheer energy of Beerus' movement, but was still in control. He thrust a fist forward and that was caught, with complete ease. Beerus then reacted by throwing his fist towards Piccolo's head in return, but Piccolo managed to dodge it.

Beerus cracked a slight smirk at the abilities of the Namekian, but wasn't going to waste any more time. He released Piccolo's fist and then hit the Namekian in the chest, sending him back and then performing an overhead kick to knock the green fighter down to the ground. Piccolo shot down at and intense speed and crashed, hard. He actually managed to stand up, but only to pass out and collapse once more.

" **Pathetic,"** Beerus muttered turning to look for Vegeta, but only coming face to face with another Saiyan. Gohan.

" **You picked on the wrong planet,"** Gohan said with intensity as his white aura flared up around him. He was stuck in his party going clothes, but he didn't care. His muscles bulged and the shirt he was wearing began to tear a little, but all that was on his mind was making sure this fighting stopped.

" **You think you have a chance against me, a God?"** Beerus questioned, looking at his nails. Acting as if he was completely disinterested by all that was happening. Gohan grit his teeth and clenched his fists.

" **You have no idea what some of us are capable of,"** Gohan growled as he continued to power up. His Ki grew around him and Beerus was actually intrigued by what was coming.

" **You're still no match for me,"** Beerus stated. Gohan didn't respond, he just charged forward and smashed a fist into Beerus' face, but the God didn't react. He had powered up enough to defend himself against such an attack.

Beerus pushed back against Gohan and the Saiyan was being moved away. He tried imposing his strength on Beerus some more, but the God was far too powerful. Gohan quickly backed away and let some space grow between them. Beerus put his arms behind his back and smirked towards the adult Saiyan.

" **I can sense a great power in you, but you're not showing it,"** Beerus stated. He pulled his arm up to has and started to look at his nails again. **"This planet has surely been disappointing for me."**

Gohan grit his teeth and charged towards Beerus, going right into an attack. He thrust his fist towards Beerus' face and the God quickly pulled back and avoided the arm. He then swung around quickly and whacked Gohan in the face with his tail. The Saiyan was knocked towards the ground, but managed to twist and stop himself from hitting down. That was when Beerus flashed behind him.

" **Hello,"** Beerus said, grabbing Gohan's attention and shocking that man. Gohan quickly charged forward and swung around throwing a blast back at Beerus, but the God reacted immediately and smacked the blast back towards the Saiyan. Gohan threw his arms up and blocked the attack, only to find out it was Beerus' way of distracting him. The God flew forward and elbowed Gohan in the face.

The Demi-Saiyan was knocked back fairly far but managed to roll through the air and staled himself. He couldn't see Beerus any more though. Gohan kept his eyes wide open and started to swing around, scanning as best he could. He couldn't even sense his opponent and that thoroughly confused the Saiyan and he just wanted to shout in annoyance.

Noca and Vegeta stood side-by-side and watched as everything happened and they were very confused. Neither of them could see Beerus either, nor could they sense him. Noca moved forward as if ready to go on the attack, but Vegeta held an arm out to stop him. The teen looked over to the Prince, but Vegeta had a very serious look written on his face and Noca knew not to underestimate Beerus. Even Vegeta looked scared and that wasn't good.

Gohan clenched both fists and closed his eyes hoping to using his deep senses to find Beerus. He couldn't be invisible, he just had to be moving very quickly. Maybe he could detect the movement if his was clear.

" **Closing your eyes isn't a good strategy,"** Beerus said causing Gohan's eyes to snap open. He was only greeted by the sight of Beerus' fist crashing towards him. The fist connected with the Saiyan's face and Gohan was propelled through the air. He wasn't doing very well.

Noca moved forward again, but this time Vegeta grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him back.

" **You are not going up against him!"** Vegeta yelled at Noca, acting extremely worried and parental. Noca's brow furrowed and he didn't know how to react. He hadn't see the Prince this serious in a very long time and it really was worrying. He stood up and brushed himself off, returning his gave to the God and Demi-Saiyan. Vegeta looked back up as well. His teeth grit and his fist clenched with all his might.

Beerus started to slap Gohan around. A punch in the gut, a knee in the face, a hammered fist on Gohan's head and then a swinging kick into the Saiyan's side. Gohan was flung through the air again, but quickly regained himself and focused his vision ahead. He got a good sight of Beerus and closed his eyes. Beerus scoffed at that attempt at the same strategy so he just charged in for another attack. Beerus stopped right in front of Gohan and didn't bother to attack. Gohan slowly opened his eyes and wondered what was happening. Beerus just pretended to yawn.

" **You're boring me…"** The God muttered, but Gohan was offended by that. He quickly swung his fist forward, but didn't bother to hit, he instead phased away. Beerus had gone to move into a block, but Gohan was gone and now he had an idea of what the Saiyan was going to attempt. He put his hand behind his back and smirked. Gohan reappeared behind the God and attempted a kick to the head, but phased at the last moment once more. Beerus had lifted a hand for defence but Gohan's movement was too quick again. They were learning against this God and Beerus was going to take kindly to that.

Finally, Gohan reappeared in front of Beerus and because of the last move, the God had left himself open and Gohan managed to land a strong kick in the God's gut. Beerus stumbled back and as he did Gohan had already started powering up a Kamehameha. He fired it as soon as the blast reached full strength. The wave engulfed the God and there was a massive explosion, shaking the sky. Vegeta and Noca had to shield their eyes and wondered if Gohan had actually managed it.

They looked up and as the cloud and light dissipated, he was revealed. Beerus was unharmed and just started to dust himself off.

" **I have to say, that does appear to be a strong attack…"** Beerus started, almost making a compliment, **"It's a shame your Father had to use the same thing."**

Gohan wasn't ready for that comment, he didn't even know Beerus had interacted with Goku.

" **What do you know about my Father?"** Gohan questioned in a very defensive tone, but Beerus wasn't going to waste any more time. He phased towards Gohan and tapped him on the chest. Suddenly, Gohan was winded and fainted. He started to fall from the sky and smashed down on the ground. Everyone called out, wanting to know if Gohan was ok, but no one dared to move towards him. Beerus opened his hand and started to power up a large purple Ki blast.

" **I guess I'll just dispose of the planet now,"** Beerus muttered to himself, his smirk turning into a satisfied smile. But someone wasn't going to let that happen, and he wouldn't be held back any longer. There was a flash of energy behind Vegeta and a whoosh as Noca became a Super Saiyan and charged towards Beerus.

" **No…"** Vegeta muttered, knowing he couldn't stop the teen. Beerus was just about to release an attack, but something sparked in his mind and he knew he had to be on-guard. He reduced that energy and turned to his right to catch Noca's fist.

" **You should have stayed back with Vegeta,"** Beerus muttered, staring into the Saiyan's eyes. Noca glared at Beerus and continued to look into his eyes.

" **I won't let you hurt them anymore,"** Noca growled back. Beerus focussed on Noca's eyes and started to notice something.

" **I…I can see something inside of you, something…not so different from me,"** Beerus mumbled, not actually making any sense. Noca raised an eyebrow and started to push his energy on Beerus, actually managing to break the God's guard. Beerus wasn't that easily taken down though. He quickly flipped away and let Noca contemplate what he had been told.

Noca didn't know what to make of those words and decided it wasn't worth dwelling on such thoughts in this situation. He charged forward and swung his fist for Beerus. The God simply backed off, a smirk written upon his face. Noca was annoyed by his missed attack and attempted to make up for it by swinging around and aiming a kick for Beerus' head. The God dropped back and swung underneath and around Noca, ending up behind him. This gave Beerus a perfect opening and the God made use of it by planting a powerful punch into the Saiyan's spine. Noca arched his back in pain and then found himself in a headlock from the God of Destruction.

" **You will never bear power such as this…"** Beerus whispered into Noca's ear before throwing him forward and launching a Ki blast into him. The blast engulfed Noca and blasted him out of the sky. The teen rolled down through the air but managed to steady himself, almost in time to avoiding hitting the ground, but he still touched down a little too hard and fell to his knees.

Vegeta looked to his student and then up at Beerus and was beginning to get a little rattled by all this conflict. He couldn't stand back and act scared any longer. He flashed Super Saiyan and flew up to be level with the God.

" **That's enough, Beerus,"** Vegeta said, as confidently as he could muster. He knew Beerus wouldn't listen, but it was better to attempt to fix things with words rather than actions. Beerus turned to look at Vegeta and started to chuckle.

" **Why don't you prove that you deserve the title of Prince…of all Saiyans?"** Beerus said, clearly baiting the Prince. He knew Vegeta would grow agitated by these taunts and was fully prepared to endure whatever the God would throw out.

Vegeta blasted forward and smashed his fist towards Beerus' face, but the God knocked the Saiyan's arm away and sent a crushing blow into his gut. Vegeta fell back and Beerus continue with his attack. He smashes his fist against Vegeta's head and then performed a front flip, kicking Vegeta down towards the ground. The Prince fell at a great pace, but was soon caught. It was Beerus and he wasn't done with the fight yet. He threw Vegeta up and then lifted a finger, sending a small Ki blast into his opponent. It exploded against Vegeta and sent him soaring into the distance.

Beerus phased and then smashed Vegeta back in the opposite direction. He continued to bash him about the sky for a bit, not caring about what damage he was doing.

Noca got up to his feet and stood there, watching what was happening. He needed to attempt to stop it and hopefully a sneak attack would do it. Beerus grabbed Vegeta by the throat and looked ready to end things, but Noca took his chance. He pushed a lot of power into a blast, not even bothering to transform and sent it towards Beerus. The God reacted at the last moment to swat it away and then glared down towards Noca.

He released his grip on Vegeta, letting him fall and then phased towards Noca. He appeared right in front of the teen and kicked him in the gut, winding him. He then grabbed the teen by the front of his shirt and punched Noca away with immense strength. Noca bounced away before falling into the Capsule Corp. swimming pool. Both Pan and Holline moved from their positions and even Bulma moved on as she saw Vegeta falling from the sky.

Beerus stood there proud of himself.

Pan and Holline hadn't headed in the same directions though. Pan went for her boyfriend's body, but Holline…well, she was ready to do her best to protect Noca. She charged for Beerus and began throwing blasts towards him. They wouldn't do anything, but she was ready to try whatever she could. Beerus turned to face her and began laughing.

" **You're a weak girl, you may as well give up now…"** He called out to her, even though she continued to run towards him. Noca had been helped out of the pool now and could see what was happening. He didn't accept what he was seeing and was ready to get back into it. He was in pain, but he tried his best to move forward.

Holline finally made it to Beerus and attempted to punch, but Beerus caught her arm in his left hand. His smirk faded and he raised his right hand, ready to blast. Noca saw this and immediately phased away. He appeared right beside Beerus and Holline and grabbed onto Beerus' Ki ready arm.

The God was shocked by the recovery and turned to face the Saiyan teen. Noca glared into Beerus' eyes and he certainly meant business right now. Sparks started to shine around his body and he was ready for something. Beerus smirked again as he let go of Holline's arm and the red head backed away.

" **You sure are resilient…maybe more so than Vegeta,"** Beerus stated. Noca wasn't here for more conversation. The spark warped around his body and Noca flashed to a Super Saiyan 2. His grip on Beerus' arm strengthened and the God was surprised by this new level of energy. He wasn't scared or worried though…he was intrigued.

He looked up into Noca's eyes once more and saw the fire of a true Saiyan in them.

" **Is this my Super Saiyan God?"**

* * *

 _Good chapter? Bad chapter? Let me know your thoughts in a review, please!_

 _There will not be a chapter next week. I'm spending time with family for Christmas so I'm going to put it off until I've had a bit of a break. I'm sure everyone understands and is ok with this. Thanks._

 _Next Time...Chapter 6: He Appears! The Battle of Gods Commences._


	6. Arc II: The Battle of Gods Commences

_So, I'm back after a little break. Had some time to work on some further parts of this story and you can expect weekly releases to continue. I do plan to take another break, but I'll let you know when that one happens. For now, enjoy this conclusion._

* * *

 **Chapter 6: He Appears! The Battle of Gods Commences.**

Beerus and Noca stood staring at each other. Noca's grip on Beerus' arm didn't look like loosening up at any point, but the God didn't seem to care much. He just continued to smirk at the teen. It was an intense stare-down, but someone would need to break it soon. Someone needed to make some sort of effort to more.

Noca let go of Beerus' arm and leapt up away into the sky he then flashed forward, moving at such a pace that no one around them had even seen what Noca had done. Suddenly there was a small wave of energy that shook the area and Noca was revealed to have landed a smashing kick…against Beerus' arm. Noca may have been fast, but the God was equal to it, maybe even better.

Noca pulled away again and phased from view, eventually appearing behind Beerus and attempting a punch to the back of his head. The punch connected with the space that Beerus had occupied, but not the God himself. Beerus had already flashed away and now it was his turn to appear behind Noca. The teen knew Beerus there and managed to dodge away from the God's attempted chop.

Noca rolled away and leapt towards Beerus again, this time opting for a range of punches and kicks. The sent two jabs towards Beerus, finding that both of them were dodged with ease. Noca then attempted a swiping kick, aimed for Beerus' face, but the God just continued to back away. This was all he had to do to avoid Noca's attempts. The teen was proving to be far too slow and this irritated Noca. He really wanted to be better, but it was far too difficult. Beerus was unlike anyone they had face before.

Noca eventually tried an energy blast, but Beerus had flashed out of the way. The attack sailed into the distance and exploded against a tree. Noca remained in the pose and his breathing was fairly heavy. The Purple-Skinned God hovered in the air and looked down upon Noca.

" **Turns out you weren't the God…what a shame,"** Beerus muttered, pretending to yawn. Noca turned around and grunted in annoyance. He charged back towards Beerus and attempted to swipe a few punches at his opponent, but Beerus simply avoided them and then tapped Noca on the chest. Just that tap was enough to knock him out of Super Saiyan 2 and the teen then fell from the air.

He slammed down hard and was out of this fight now. He wasn't unconscious, but he was certainly weak. He slowly sat up, but he was aching all over. He had truly been giving it his all against Beerus, but he had proved to be far too quick and powerful. Noca glared at the God one last time before laying back and finally resting. Beerus laughed out loud as he descended to the ground.

" **Looks like there isn't a Super Saiyan God. It disappoints me, but at least I get to destroy this pitiful planet,"** The God told everyone in the area. He seemed extremely pleased with himself, but someone was certainly annoyed by everything that had transpired here and she was going to make her voice heard.

Stomping towards the powerful God of Destruction was none other than the Blue-Haired scientist, Bulma. Vegeta looked over to his wife and made an effort to stop her from what she was doing, but she was miffed.

Bulma stood face-to-face with Beerus and glared right at him.

" **You ruined my Birthday!"** She yelled before lifting her hand and smacking him across the face. Everyone gasped or called out as Bulma performed that action and now everyone was extremely worried. Beerus slowly smiled.

" **That kind of tickled…let me show you what it felt like,"** Beerus said as he lightly tapped Bulma against the face, but she dropped to the ground as if she'd been punched. There was a clear mark on her face and now everyone was stepping forward in defence of the woman. None of them cared much for that action and they were all ready to stand up for Bulma, but only one person was needed.

Beerus could feel an intense energy growing behind him and it told him that someone was ready to fight once more. The God turned around and saw a huge Golden Aura shining around the Prince of Saiyans. There were plenty of blue sparks littering the air as well. Vegeta slowly looked up at Beerus and it was clear that he was beyond enraged. His teeth were grit and his fists were clenched so tightly that his white gloves had trickles of blood on them.

Vegeta took a couple of steps towards Beerus before stopping and tensing up every muscle in his body.

" **That's…that's…"** The Prince started, quietly before stretching out and screaming at the top of his lungs as his energy exploded from within, **"That's my BULMA!"**

The whole area was shaking with a strong intensity as Vegeta blasted from his spot, leaving behind a mini-crater, and he was aiming right for Beerus.

" **YOU BASTARD!"** He yelled as he powered straight ahead, not even moving to attack. Beerus made the first move, smashing his fist against Vegeta's face and stopping him in his tracks, but the Prince started to push back and managed to turn his head and face Beerus. There was a visible look of shock on the God's face as Vegeta knocked his hand away and smashed a strong uppercut into his gut.

Beerus bent over from the impact as Vegeta reeled his left arm back and then smashed into Beerus' face with his right fist. The God was lifted up into the air and shook off the impact, but Vegeta sprung from his step once more and pummelled the God further into the air. Beerus couldn't move a muscle…he was completely immobilized by the shock and sheer intensity of Vegeta's amazing upgrade in power.

People had rushed to Bulma to make sure she was ok and the sudden explosion of power had managed to get Noca to his feet as he watched what happened up in the sky. This wasn't a temporary upgrade…this was purely Vegeta's power.

Vegeta had just smashed a strong punch across Beerus' face and the God was finally starting to have enough of this. He began to actually fight back. He caught Vegeta's next punch and pulled the Saiyan close to him. As Vegeta was pulled in, Beerus kicked him in the gut ever so swiftly. Vegeta was knocked back and grabbed a hold of his stomach as the pain coursed through him. He attempted to straighten up, only to have a fist connect directly with the centre of his face. Vegeta was propelled through the air and Beerus swiftly followed after the Saiyan.

Vegeta managed to roll and flipped forward to put himself back into a focussed position, but he wasn't prepared for how fast Beerus would be coming in. The God stopped inches from Vegeta's face and smirked right at him.

" **That was some burst of energy you had there. I'm almost surprised,"** Beerus stated as he thrust his hand forward and used the sheer force of his movement to push Vegeta away from him. **"A Saiyan really does keep his emotions close to the surface…even one like you, who tries so hard to hide them."**

Vegeta looked up and continued to glare at Beerus. The God wasn't even looking at Vegeta now and had even taken to closing his eyes.

" **It's a shame that I have to destroy you and this planet, but…"** Beerus opened his eyes and looked at Vegeta with a frown, **"I'm rather pissed off."**

He flashed towards Vegeta and thrust a strong punch deep into Vegeta's gut. The attack was immense and almost knocked the Saiyan Prince unconscious. He was about to drop to the ground, but Beerus held onto the front of his armour for second.

" **Just think…you descend from so much more,"** the God muttered this so quietly that he wasn't sure Vegeta even heard him, but he didn't care. He let go of the Saiyan and finally let him drop all the way to the ground. By this time, Bulma was up and Trunks was ok too. Both of them, along with Bra all rushed to Vegeta's body as it slammed down against the dirt. They helped bring him back to his feet and pulled him back to the group, away from Beerus.

The God touched down and started to look around.

" **Where are you Whis?!"** Beerus yelled. Quick enough, Whis was by his side.

" **Yes, Lord Beerus?"** Whis said, while picking at a plate of food.

" **I'm ready to destroy this Planet and go home,"** The God informed his partner.

" **Can it not wait?"** Whis questioned as he continued to pick at the food on his plate. **"There are still plenty of things over at that stall I have yet to try."**

Whis pointed over to the buffet table where a chef-bot had loads of food laid out, ready for Whis to consume. Beerus took a look at it and licked his lips every so subtly, but obviously not subtle enough.

" **Does my Lord want me to get him some to take back home?"** Whis asked, a smile on his face. Beerus just glared at Whis and turned his head. **"I'll take that as a yes."**

Whis moved back to the stall and he could be heard conversing with the robot and telling it that he wished to take the food away with him. Beerus just scratched his face and then slowly ascended into the air slightly. He looked down upon the entire group and chuckled.

" **It's a shame you couldn't produce what I wanted…and then treat me like I'm just a common fool…"** Beerus' ear twitched as he spoke, **"I'm a God of Destruction and deserve the utmost respect!"**

People started to back away as Beerus' aura started to shine around him.

" **I will put an end to your planet and its people so that one day, maybe, it can be born anew and then…these new people will learn how to truly respect a God,"** Beerus stated in such a sinister fashion as he raised his hand and prepared to fire his attack.

" **Wait!"** A voice called out from behind the large group. Beerus' eyes snapped towards the location of the voice and everyone in the group turned around, recognising the voice. Almost everyone in the group, except Vegeta, seemed to brighten up when they finally saw who it was. It was just as they had all hoped. It was as if their prayers were answered. Walking through the group, not looking at any of them, eyes fixed upon Beerus, was Goku.

Beerus' eye twitched as he looked down upon the very same Saiyan he had bested in the Other World. There was still a Halo above his head, so he was indeed still dead.

" **How can you be here? You are dead,"** Beerus questioned as he lowered to be level with the Saiyan.

" **Let's just say that I have a free pass…"** Goku said, not revealing how he had really managed to leave the Supreme Kai's planet.

Meanwhile, on the Supreme Kai's planet…

" **We can't just let him go down there like that!"** The Elder-Kai shouted at the younger.

" **Elder, don't worry…Goku will deal with this…I hope,"** The Supreme Kai tried to assure his Elder.

" **This is so wrong…he'll be angry with us…he won't want Goku fighting Beerus,"** The Elder-Kai mentioned as he covered his eyes and shook his head. Cilu's ears perked up at hearing of a he.

" **What are you hiding from us? Who is this 'he'?"** Cilu asked, not wanting so many secrets kept from them. The Kai both turned and looked at Cilu with a little worry on their faces before returning to look at each other.

" **They are talking about me,"** A strangely calm, but deep voice said from behind Cilu. It sounded very elegant. Almost God-Like. Both Kai seemed shocked by the arrival of this being. Cilu turned around slowly and finally saw who this 'he' was.

Back on Earth, Beerus was staring at Goku with a smirk on his face.

" **You are certainly an intriguing Saiyan, but unless you've come up with some way to beat me you know you don't stand a chance,"** Beerus stated, knowing exactly what Goku was currently capable of. Goku began to scratch the back of his head and honestly had no response for Beerus. He started to chuckle.

" **I guess you're right Beerus…I'd be beaten for sure,"** Goku stated, looking into the God's eyes. **"But that doesn't mean I'm going to back down and let you destroy this planet."**

Beerus' ear twitched at that and he seemed to be intrigued by what Goku was suggesting. He actually believed he was capable of fighting some more and that amused Beerus. The God started laughing out loud and that was surprising to everyone around them.

" **You won't stand a chance, plus you're not the Super Saiyan God and that disappoints me,"** Beerus turned away from Goku and started to walk off. **"I'm just going to destroy your planet and be done with this."**

Goku clenched his fist and started to think of a possible plan of action. He stepped forward ready to throw himself back into a fight, but a solitary voice managed to give the Dead Saiyan some sense.

" **We could always ask Shenron?"** Pan suggest in an innocent and questioning manner. Everyone looked at Pan and then one another, and shrugged their shoulders.

" **It could work, Goku,"** Krillin spoke up. Goku looked to his old friend and then to Bulma for confirmation on using the Dragon Radar, luckily Bulma already had the balls gathered just in case they were ever needed again. They were kept in a safe place though, just to be sure.

She quickly rushed off to get them, but Beerus was very confused by what was going on.

" **Why is the woman leaving?"** Beerus questioned. Goku turned to face the God and seemed to almost forget he was waiting to destroy the planet.

" **Oh…we're gonna use the Dragon Balls to ask Shenron to bring you a Super Saiyan God,"** Goku said, sounding stupid, but it wasn't a bad idea if everyone was to be honest.

Beerus looked to Whis for some sort of help with this situation, but the Servant just shrugged his shoulder and took a seat, showing that he was perfectly satisfied with waiting. Beerus groaned and then took a seat beside Whis.

Bulma returned with the balls and laid them out of the ground in front of Goku, and made sure to leave them in enough open space. Everyone stood back as Goku stood over the 7 magic orbs.

" **Eternal Dragon, by your name I summon you forth. SHENRON!"** Goku yelled up at the sky. Black clouds started to form around them and there was thunder in the sky. Beerus was intrigued by this and paid close attention to the flashing balls. Soon enough a huge ray of light shot up to the sky and it started to swirl around in a snake-like fashion, eventually forming into a giant, green Dragon. Everyone loved to see this sight and people found themselves just staring in awe, until he spoke.

" **I am Shenron. I shall grant you one wish. Make it quick,"** Shenron said, in his usual grouchy tone.

" **Hey Shenron, can you bring us a Super Saiyan God?"** Goku asked. Shenron didn't react right away and everyone was confused.

" **No,"** The Dragon answered, bluntly.

" **What?"** Goku questioned, scratching his head, but Shenron quickly continued.

" **I am unable to perform this task as there isn't currently a Super Saiyan God in existence…and there hasn't been for many thousands of years,"** Shenron answered.

" **So they did exist…"** Vegeta turned to Noca and said in a relatively hushed tone. Both of them were shocked by that reveal. It wasn't just a fantasy.

" **Well, can you tell us how to make one?"** Was Goku's follow-up wish. Everyone sweat-dropped at Goku's bizarre choice of words, but it was a valid ask.

" **A Super Saiyan God can only exist for a short period of time, but it is a power that can be used to vanquish even the toughest of enemies. To create a Super Saiyan God Five Super Saiyans will need to pool their energy together and then transfer it to another Saiyan. Six Saiyans must join together in this process,"** Shenron finished his explanation and then Goku turned to face the rest of the Saiyans.

" **I'm gonna do it, but I need your help!"** He told them all. Vegeta didn't like that.

" **What? Why do you get to do it? You're dead! You shouldn't even be here, Kakarot!"** The Prince yelled at his fellow Full-Blood Saiyan. **"If anyone should become a God it should be a Saiyan Royal!"**

Beerus stood up and walked over to the group.

" **As much as I admire you Prince Vegeta, I want to face the one known as Goku,"** The God stated, clearly stabbing Vegeta right through his pride. The Prince stepped away and glared at Goku.

" **Fine, let's just get it over and done with!"** Vegeta yelled, flashing Super Saiyan.

There seemed to be an awkward silence as Shenron continued to hover above them all as no one had actually made a wish. It was almost quite scary.

" **Does anybody require a wish?"** Shenron yelled, grabbing all of their attentions.

" **No,"** Beerus replied, waving his hand towards the Dragon, **"Be-gone, will you."**

Shenron nodded awkwardly and then vanished back into the Dragon Balls as they raised into the air and scattered once more. The light returned to the sky and everyone looked around at each other.

" **So…who's doing this?"** Bulma asked, **"He said Super Saiyans right?"**

" **Yeah,"** Goku replied, **"So I need Vegeta, Noca, Gohan, Goten and Trunks to help me."**

The five Saiyans stood around Goku in a circle and all flashed Super Saiyan at the same moment. They then joined hands and began to power up to their maximum, doing it as quick as they could. The sooner they were rid of Beerus the sooner things would go back to normal. Or as normal as they could be. There were few big flashes of energy as the power started to fuse together and because Goku was in the middle it started to warp around him and flood into his body. Goku then flashed to Super Saiyan as he embraced the power.

Everyone watching on could sense there was a massive power increase, but they weren't completely sure on the whole God thing. It still appeared to be fairly preposterous to them. No one thought there was anything big happening until all the other Saiyans appeared to drop from Super Saiyan back to their base forms. They kept their hands joined and continued to let the energy transfer to Goku as his aura began to shin a bright blue and the sparks around his body were getting even more violent than usual. The Saiyan Circle parted as they backed away to admire whatever was happening to Goku.

The Saiyan raised into the air and continued to hold his energy in. The Aura exploded from within and then seemed to change from a bright gold to a shining blue and eventually settled on a fiery red. His hair returned to it's natural standing position with perhaps a fair bit of extra spikiness, but the tint was very different and even Goku's body was different.

As he touched down at the Aura disappeared everyone could see the differences made to Goku. He had bright red hair, red eyes and his aura was a fiery red with some shining blue mixed in there. Even his body looked slimmer. This wasn't the normal Goku, or even an ordinary Super Saiyan Goku. This was indeed what Beerus had come here for. This was his dream made a reality.

Goku had become a Super Saiyan God. He looked at his body and stood straight. Not even he knew what to make of this new form, but it was clear that the power upgrade was immense. Vegeta was wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

" **I…I can't sense his energy…just like with Beerus,"** Vegeta stated, not wanting to believe what he had just witnessed. He clenched his fists and thought to himself. _**"Surpassed by that clown, again."**_

Beerus stepped towards Goku and admired the new form. He still didn't know what to make of this. Was it really what he wanted to see? Was this really what a Super Saiyan God was meant to look like? He didn't know the answers for sure, but if he was a betting God, he would've put it all on yes. Beerus stepped right up to Goku and touched a finger to his chest.

" **How does it feel to have all of that power flowing within you?"** Beerus asked, smirking, **"The power of a God."**

Goku looked at his hands and then clenched them tightly, closing his eyes as well to take a second and feel that power flow through him.

" **Honestly, I won't know until I finally start fighting,"** Goku replied, bearing a smirk of his own. Beerus stepped back, but he wasn't scared, he was intrigued.

" **You gain an immense power-up and rather than take a second to adjust to it, you would go all embrace it and intend to fight me right away?"** Beerus mentioned in a questioning tone. Goku took another look at himself and nodded. Beerus chuckled and built a larger distance between he and Goku. The Saiyan did the same, but before doing anything he turned to his friends.

" **Guys, you may need to take a big step back,"** He told them all, **"This could get messy."**

They all understood what Goku was telling them and rushed to get some distance, but also made sure to remain in a decent enough position to keep a good eye on the fight. It was only Vegeta, Noca and Whis that didn't step back as far. They were very interested in seeing how this conflict would play out.

Goku and Beerus stood, staring at each other, both wearing smirks on their faces. The Saiyan moved into his stance and Beerus simply whipped his tail and beckoned for Goku to make the next move. Goku inched forward slightly and then phased towards Beerus. He disappeared and reappeared right in front of the God. Goku swung his arm back and propelled it towards Beerus' face, but the God was quick and threw his left arm up to block the hit.

The impact was big and created a massive shock wave that rocketed through the area and caused the onlookers to rock on their feet a little. Beerus didn't take into thought how strong Goku's attack would be and he could feel himself being pushed back ever so slightly. He grunted in annoyance and pushed back on Goku. This started to balance out the strength and they held the position. Beerus smirked at Goku and started to speak.

" **How does it feel, having this power?"** Beerus asked.

" **It's…amazing,"** Goku replied. The two of them instantly broke apart and landed a fair distance apart, but Goku went in for the first move once again. He flashed forward at an intense pace, but Beerus quickly phased out of the way leaving Goku to stumble forward as he tried to stop himself. The Saiyan swung around to get back into the fight and prepare for his defence.

He wasn't given a lot of time to get into the defensive position, but he was ready with a cross block as Beerus charged in with a powerful punch swinging in. Beerus pushed his strength against Goku and the Saiyan started to back away a little, but he started to push his energy forward again and managed to break his guard and knock Beerus' arm away. The God backed off, but Goku thrust himself forward and landed a punch into Beerus' chest.

The God backed away and brought a hand to his chest. He was intrigued by this power and was feeling an excitement that he hadn't experienced before. He smirked towards Goku and the phased right in front of the Saiyan again. He sent an uppercut into Goku's chin and that threw him further into the sky. Beerus followed on and when he managed to come up to level with Goku's body, the God flipped forward, performing an overhead kick. He was sure the attack would land, but to his surprise Goku had caught the foot and stopped the attack dead. Beerus' smirk disappeared and he started to frown. Goku chuckled to himself and then swung Beerus down to his side. He let go of the God and then thrust a punch into the God's chin.

Beerus composed himself and backed away after that attack. He had clearly underestimated how quickly Goku would get accustomed to this new power.

" **That power is fantastic,"** Beerus muttered to himself, **"But I can't let him win this."**

He charges forward at an almost invisible pace and sent in a strong right jab. It smacked against Goku's unsuspecting face and pushed him away, but Beerus swung his left arm out and grabbed onto the front of Goku's Gi, pulling him closer. Beerus crashed the right fist into the Saiyan's gut and then sent his knee crashing into Goku's chin. The Saiyan was lifted up and Beerus moved underneath him and sent his fist crashing up into Goku's back.

There was a cracking sound as Goku was knocked up, but the Saiyan quickly swung around and composed himself as best he could. He turned around and sped down towards Beerus almost immediately. He sent in a rapid barrage of punches and continued to move forwards as he did so. Beerus found that he was being pushed close towards the city.

Beerus used his energy to push Goku away and then rushed closer towards the City. Goku started to realise that this could be potentially very dangerous and decided to power forward really quickly. Beerus stopped right in front of a building and waited for Goku to fly towards him. The Saiyan powered as close to Beerus as he could and then threw his fist forward with strength. Beerus knew this wouldn't end well and quickly flashed away, avoiding the fist and letting Goku almost crash right into the building. Luckily he managed to stop inches away from the glass.

Goku instantly swung around to try and get another attack in on Beerus, but was instantly taken off-guard by the God's sudden appearance and swinging kick. The foot smashed into the left side of the Saiyan's face and propelled him through the air. Goku opened his eyes and prepared to be ready for another attack from Beerus. The God phased towards the Saiyan and prepared to knock Goku down towards the ground, but the vastly experienced Saiyan phased away, meaning Beerus missed his attack.

Beerus smashed down on thin air and was wide-eyed with the shock at that immense speed. The biggest shock was soon to follow when Goku appeared below Beerus once more and smashed a kick in Beerus' face and sent that God soaring high into the air. Goku rapidly followed the purple-skinned deity up into the air and was ready with another attack, but this time it was Beerus' chance to disappeared and shock his opponent. Goku stalled and started to scout around, but couldn't spot anyone.

Beerus appeared behind Goku and then pulled the Saiyan into a tight headlock. Goku lifted his hands to Beerus' arm in the hopes that he could pull them away, but that grip was far too tough. He tried as hard as he could, but it just wouldn't happen. Beerus smirked and laughed and then twisted Goku's body, twirling him around and then sent a strong kick into the Saiyan's ribs and Goku was sent thundering away into the distance.

Goku is rolling through the air at an intense pace, but does his best to stop. Luckily he managed it, but Beerus wasn't one for waiting around for nothing. He blitzed towards the Saiyan and kicked Goku towards the ground. The Saiyan shot down at a great pace and smashed through a forest and a couple of trees before stopping against one. Goku cracked against it and let out an angered grunt. He opened his eyes and saw a flash of light in the air.

Goku looked up and saw it was a huge Ki attack. The Saiyan was wide-eyed with the fear that this move was intended to destroy the planet. It started to crash through the trees and Goku, wanting to limit damage, flew towards it at pace and started to push all his energy against it. The blast was strong, but Goku managed to do his best to move it and redirect it towards the sky. He moved underneath and pushed it up. As it soared higher Goku threw a small Ki blast towards it purely to cause it to detonate safely away from anyone. This way it wouldn't cause any harm. The blast exploded, but Goku made a mistake.

Beerus took a chance and flashed towards Goku without a second though. Goku couldn't sense any of Beerus' movement so he was completely taken by surprise when Beerus started to unleash a fairly powerful barrage of punches into Goku's stomach or chest. Goku was being smashed around with such ease and the Saiyan wasn't given a chance to move away. As the barrage was unleashed Beerus started to move Goku further away from the forest and close towards the coastline. They made their way out to the edge of a huge cliff, but instead of knocking Goku off of the edge of it, Beerus decided to smash Goku down through the rock and towards the sea.

Goku couldn't even move the slightest and splashed down with a big crash. Beerus moved to the end of the cliff and looked down, hands placed behind his back. He stood there quietly looking down with smirk, feeling the wind blow around him. He started to ponder whether or not Goku had even survived that or if he was just going to drown. It didn't concern the God in the slightest and he just continued to stand and watch until something interesting happened.

Soon enough a huge rumbling noise started to come from below the water and Beerus was further intrigued by what this Saiyan warrior was capable of. His control over the God Ki was amazing and Beerus was honestly having so much fun with this fight. There was a huge explosion of power from below the water's surface and Goku fired out of it and charged towards Beerus, aiming a punch right for the God. Beerus cracked his neck and raised his left hand, catching Goku's punch with the least bit of concern. He just continued to smirk and look right into Goku's eyes.

The Saiyan growled in annoyance and tried to pull his arm back, but Beerus' grip strengthened and then the God decided to twist Goku's arm in the wrong direction and move it out wide. This showed the God an opening that he knew was a gateway to some pretty good chances. The God smashed s powerful fist right into Goku's face, but he didn't just stop at one. He started to let out a fair few more, maybe five or six and then he sent in a final punch that pushed Goku away. Beerus let go of the Saiyan, allowing him to fall ever so slightly.

Goku had hardly made it towards the ground before Beerus dropped in with one of his immense kicks and that propelled the Saiyan into the water once more. Goku was sent down so fast that he essentially sunk like a stone, but Beerus wasn't going to let him float back to the surface. The God dropped back in and punted a strong punch down onto the Saiyan and the waterbed causing the rock to crack and sink even further down below.

Beerus continued to send punch after punch into Goku's body as they made their way further down through the rock and closer towards the centre of the Earth. Eventually Beerus felt like he hit some hollow ground and new he had reached a different place. He punched down one last time and the duo ended up in a huge underwater cavern. Both fighters dropped in and composed themselves, managing to manipulate their power in such a way that they could stand on the surface of this water. They bounced away from one another and stared towards the other. The ceiling of this cavern seemed to block it self and stopped the room from flooding.

Beerus continued to smirk at Goku, while the Saiyan was trying to regain his breath and energy. He was wearing out a little even though he was doing his best to fight this God. It was never going to be an easy battle. Beerus had no aura around his body, but Goku's flaming aura was still visible and was even reflecting in the surface of the water. Goku cracked his neck and let a smirk cross his face.

" **You must love the power you're using?"** Beerus said in a questioning tone. Goku looked up and then at his hands. He clenched his fists and looked back towards Beerus.

" **I do…kinda,"** Goku muttered in response, but there was clearly something on his mind, **"Something annoys me…"**

Beerus raised an eyebrow and made a confused sound.

" **It's not a power I can achieve on my own or fully control,"** Goku started to explain. Beerus' ear twitched as he tilted his head and listened to what Goku had to say. **"I need help from others…"**

" **You have too much pride, it will be your downfall,"** Beerus explained, in response to what Goku had told him. Goku looked up and smiled.

" **That's not true, Vegeta has so much more Pride than me,"** Goku responded, **"I would just rather achieve the power to beat you myself…"**

" **So why did you bother with the transformation in the first place knowing you needed the power of your allies?"** Beerus questioned, raising his brown and crossing his arms. Goku chuckled slightly.

" **So that I actually have a chance to beat you,"** Goku responded, causing Beerus to start laughing out loud.

" **If you actually think you can beat me like this then maybe I should start to use some more power and stop holding back,"** Beerus explained. Closing his eyes and turning his head to the side. Goku started chuckling and moved into a stance.

" **Yeah, me too,"** Goku replied. Beerus' eyes snapped open and he quickly turned to face Goku.

" **You're holding back?!"** He growled in anger and completely moved to face Goku with all his intensity. **"Fine, let's see how you like this!"**

Beerus started to run at a terrific pace and was growling the entire time. He was moving so fast that the water trail couldn't even keep up with him and splashed a good metre behind him. Goku started to move into a defensive position, but Beerus was moving far too quick in this moment. He stopped right in front of Goku and slid to the Saiyan's left side, attempting to trip him up. Goku saw it coming at the last second and managed to slip forward, over Beerus' leg and then swung around to make an attack, but Beerus had already turned back and dove towards the Saiyan.

He dropped towards the Saiyan with his fist first, but Goku moved swiftly to present his block. Beerus' fist crashed into the block and was then pushed back by Goku's strength. He powered forward and started to throw his right fist forward, but as he did the Aura around him started to fade away and then Goku's hair even returned to normal. Beerus caught the fist with ease and pushed Goku back. Noticing the drop from God form, but being so caught up in the moment to actually pay it any attention.

Beerus leapt up into the air and started to power up his energy before unleashing a strong barrage of Ki blasts towards the Saiyan. Goku was bouncing around, doing his best to avoid all the attacks, but he wasn't impressed with Beerus' decision to use blasts in such a confined place. The Saiyan had to bounce off of all the cavern walls, finding it easier to start phasing around. A huge amount of blasts came towards him and that provoked him to put his fingers to his head and then used Instant Transmission to start moving around. Beerus kept following Goku, but it was still getting very difficult.

Goku used his Instant Transmission to get behind Beerus and then kicked the God towards the ground with a hell of a lot of power. Beerus stalled himself before splashing down, but Goku phased to the opposite side and was charging towards Beerus with an intense energy. Beerus, needing to find a way to defend, threw up a strong block, but Goku phased at the last minute and that confused Beerus. He dropped his block, but that didn't lead to the best outcome.

" **Behind you!"** Goku yelled, causing Beerus to turn around quickly, but Goku had already thundered in with a spectacular pace and smashed a powerful fist into the God's gut. Beerus bent over as Goku continue on, the water trail following a fair few second later. Beerus recovered from the attack and swung around to where Goku was. He stretched out his body and screamed with a terrifying rage and loads of purple energy blasts exploded out from within him.

Goku rapidly does his best to avoid all of the blasts, but soon notices that all the blasts are hitting the cavern walls and they begin to drop down on Goku. The Saiyan begins to panic as Beerus blasts up away out of anger, leaving Goku to be buried beneath the rubble. Goku starts pounding all of the rocks, trying to break all of them and find a way to break his way out. Soon enough the biggest ones were starting to fall down and blocked off his body and then water began to flood in. He clenched and tensed up and built up all the energy within.

" **ARGH! I WILL NOT LET YOU DESTROY MY WORLD!"** Goku screamed before erupting with a extreme amount of energy as he became a Super Saiyan and blasted out of the rocks and flew higher out of the water and towards Beerus. The God was wide-eyed with surprise, but had a smirk written on his face. He turned around and continued to fly off higher into the sky with Goku following right behind him.

As soon as Goku was revealed to them, the rest of the onlookers finally saw something they hadn't expected to see.

" **Kakarot isn't a God anymore…he's just a Super Saiyan!"** Vegeta informed the others, clenching his fist and getting the slight sense of fear in his mind. He didn't know how Goku was still continuing with so much intensity, despite no longer being in the God form.

Beerus continued to soar higher into the sky and Goku was following on with a growling anger coming from his mouth as he charged towards the God. Beerus looked back at Goku as he fired up and felt another smirk cross his face. The Saiyan was turning out to be a very good challenger and the God was enjoying himself in this fight.

He continued to lead Goku higher into the sky not caring about how thin the atmosphere got. In fact, Beerus had no problems with surviving in the vacuum of space, but Goku would last too long. Beerus eventually brought himself to a halt in the upper atmosphere and waited for the Saiyan to realise he couldn't go any further, but things didn't go that way for Beerus.

Goku continued charging right for Beerus and because the God didn't expect that he didn't react in time to move away from the Saiyan. Goku threw a barrage of punches and kicks at Beerus, but the God was equal to them and defended without so much as batting an eye. He knocked Goku's right arm away, caught his left and then thrust his own fist into the Saiyan's chest and then swung around. He landed a powerful kick to the front of Goku's face and sent the Saiyan back down a tiny bit, but Goku stopped and immediately looked up at his opponent.

He brought his fingers to his forehead and started to use Instant Transmission. He teleported behind Beerus, but further away. The God turned around slowly to see Goku with his hands at his side.

" **KAME-HAME-HA!"** Goku yelled, not wasting any time and pouring as much energy as he wanted into the blast. He thrust his hands forward and sent the wave of energy swirling all the way down towards the opponent. Beerus didn't even bother to move out of the way or put up a block. He just let the attack strike and engulf him. The energy was intense, but Beerus knew just what to do to deal with this. He waved his right hand in front of his face and the energy was completely cancelled out.

Goku watched as his attack did nothing and then started to descend to Beerus' level. He was completely worn out and could hardly muster up any more energy to continue, it was just his sheer will to protect the Earth that kept him going. Beerus smirked and brushed his shoulder.

" **It's a shame…"** Beerus starts, turning to face Goku and placing his arms behind his back, **"You're no longer a God."**

Goku didn't know what Beerus meant so he decided to take a quick look at himself. He definitely noticed the difference and cursed under his breath. There was definitely some worry etched on his face now. Beerus started to chuckle and Goku quickly looked up in a defensive manner.

" **Looks like I'll be destroying the Earth now, it's a shame…you have some strong fighters and good food, but…I'm bored,"** Beerus phased away from Goku and moved higher to get the Saiyan in his aim. He lifted his hand and positioned it towards the planet. The energy started to build around his hand and Goku was at a loss.

He powered up as much as he couldn't, but it didn't look like it would be good enough. Beerus started to build a lot of energy, very quickly and then unleashed it without a second thought. The ball moved towards the Earth and Goku reacted fast to get close and attempted to push it back at the God. He pushed as hard as he could, but the energy was too strong and Goku could stop himself from steadily falling back. He grunted in annoyance and exhaustion, but he no intentions of giving in just yet.

The energy was overpowering Goku to a point where he even dropped from Super Saiyan and returned to his base energy. He was so tired from this fight that he felt his eyelids start to weigh heavy and he was starting to pass out. He closed his eyes and dropped his arms. The ball continued to push towards the planet and now it took Goku with it. The God saw this and had to admit he was disappointed, but he had no intentions to stop what he was doing.

Inside Goku's mind, he could hear the voices of all his friends and family giving him support, but those weren't the only sounds in there. He could hear the screams of all the people of Earth as Beerus' attack struck the surface and eradicated every last one of them. He thought of his children, his grandchildren, his friends, his allies…Chi-Chi…he could feel every last one of them dying and that was enough to make an man crazy with rage, but Goku wasn't just a man…he was Saiyan. And on this day…he was so much more…he was the Super Saiyan God!

A huge burst over energy surged within Goku's heart and exploded from within. His Ki flared up once more and this time it was a huge raging fire with massive signs of static. His hair returned to the style of a Super Saiyan God and Goku screamed with a piercing intensity. He turned towards the blast and smashed his fist through it, detonating the blast in the middle of space, thus keeping the Earth from harm. And when that was done…there was silence. Nothing. Just…quiet.

Goku returned to normal and floated there on the spot, breathing extremely heavily. That last moment had drained every last bit of what energy he had left. Beerus came down to Goku's level and stared at him.

" **How did you manage to embrace that power again?"** Beerus asked, completely confused, just like Goku.

The Saiyan looked up at Beerus and smirked.

" **I don't know…"** Goku replied weakly before closing his eyes and dropping back towards the planet. Beerus quickly jolted forwards and caught the Saiyan. He then returned to the surface, placing Goku on the ground and waited to be joined by the other party attendants. When they arrived they all ran to Goku's side to sure he was ok.

" **I'm fine, guys…seriously…it's cool,"** Goku told them all as he steadily returned to his feet. Beerus' smirk disappeared.

" **I will now destroy the Earth…as I promised** ," the God told them all as he raised his hand and the faintest bit of energy started to appear. Everyone was wide-eyed with confusion and fear, but all of a sudden there was a flash of light and…gone.

…

No, not the planet…Beerus and Goku. They were gone? Whis stepped forward and quickly looked to his staff. Not knowing what could've happened. Everyone else stared at the spot where Goku and Beerus had been with wide-eyes and open mouths. What was going on?

Meanwhile, up on the Supreme Kai's world there was another flash of light and Goku and Beerus appeared out of thin air. They dropped to the ground with a thud and looked around in confusion.

" **What the hell is going on?!"** Beerus questioned angrily. He turned around to have a look, but came face-to-face with the same cloaked being as before. Just like that, Beerus shut up and stepped back. He swallowed hard and nodded. **"It's good to see you, what brings you here?"**

" **You."** The being replied, not wasting any time. Beerus didn't know what that meant and just scratched his head. **"You…have been far too reckless. You aren't doing your job."**

" **Hey, I'm doing part of my job,"** Beerus responded, stepping forward confidently, but then froze when he realised who he had just said that to.

Back on Earth, Whis had finally found the source of this mystery and he too, froze up. He quickly turned to the rest of the group smiled.

" **So it turns out that Beerus will not be blowing up your planet and Goku has been returned to the Supreme Kai's world, safe and sound,"** Whis explained, but that didn't seem to give the group any sort of closure on the situation, **"Sorry for any bother."**

He then turned around, tapped his staff to the ground and teleported away. Everyone else just stood there in silence and had no idea what to do.

Back on Supreme Kai's world…

" **You're so much further away from being ready for the quest, you don't realise how serious your position is, do you?"** The cloaked being questioned and lectured the purple-skinned God and Beerus could do nothing, but stand there and listen. **"You'll never become a full-fledged Guardian of Death and Destruction this way."**

Goku's time to join the conversation. He stepped forward with his hand raised.

" **So Beerus isn't a complete God?"** The Saiyan questioned.

" **No, unfortunately,"** Beerus answered, **"I'm only in charge of preparing planets for renewal, not all the proper duties."**

The Cloaked figure then turned to face Goku and the Saiyan felt the intensity.

" **You should also know better, Saiyan,"** The being told Goku, **"And Beerus, you pull any more stunts like that then I will find another subject to take the position."**

Goku stepped forward and apologised politely while Beerus seemed to sulk. Whis shows up at this point and also comes over to quickly apologise for what had happened. The Being just turned away from them all.

" **Leave now, you two,"** He instructs Whis and Beerus. They nod and get into position.

" **By the way…Goku,"** Beerus called out. Goku turned to face the God and was wondering what he could want. **"You were a formidable opponent…maybe we'll fight again someday."**

After that they leave and Goku stands there feeling proud of himself for standing up to a God. He remembers to try and question who the cloaked being is, but as he goes to do so the being has already disappeared. Goku scratched his head, wondering what it was all about, but then realised there were more important things to take care of.

" **I'm so hungry…"**

* * *

Later on, back on Earth, the party had continued and there weren't any problems for the rest of the night. Everyone had a great meal and a good time. Noca and Vegeta are resting on top of Capsule Corp. and look up at the sky. Noca has a big question on his mind.

" **Vegeta, what do you think about this whole 'Super Saiyan God' thing?"** The teen asked, not bothering to look away from the stars. Vegeta turned to look at his cousin and student and he pondered the question for a second.

" **We don't need it…"** Vegeta stated, bluntly. Noca turned to look at him with a furrowed brow. He wasn't sure what Vegeta meant. **"I would rather find a way to become that powerful on my own…and trust me…"**

Vegeta stopped and turned to face Noca again.

" **We will be that strong."**

" **Good to hear,"** Noca replied with a smirk on his face. He laid back and closed his eyes, **"We'll train as hard as possible."**

Vegeta looked at his student and let a smirk crack across his face. He turned away and also laid back on the roof. He too closed his eyes and thought about the possibilities that were coming in the future.

There would be difficulties, but…there would also be Super Saiyans.

* * *

 _I know that some of you may have anticipated a big fight between Noca and Beerus, but that was never my intention. It was always for Goku to come and be the Super Saiyan God. Now, that is the last you of this transformation. I don't plan to include it later on. I apologise if you were hoping for any this to happen, but this is my story after all._

 _Hope you enjoyed, nonetheless and don't forget to leave a review._

 _Next Time...Arc III: Passing Time begins with Chapter 7: Uneasy Peace_


	7. Arc III: Uneasy Peace

_Hey, it's the beginning of a new Arc in Noca's story. This one will feature more filler/Slice-of-life moments, but there is also a big character event that happens through this arc and is something I had laid the groundwork for a while back. Hope you enjoy._

* * *

 _ **Arc III: Passing Time**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 7: Uneasy Peace**_

A cloud of smoke slowly moves away to reveal a fiery battlefield. The ruins of a city littered with the bodies of hundreds, maybe even thousands. Blood runs through the streets, debris everywhere and the creak of breaking structures, but the biggest noise of them all…the silence. Not a single person or sign of life could be heard. This was a City of Dead.

Only one person walked through. Dragging their feet through the debris and dirt. Stepping in the puddles of blood. Their white boots scuffed, their black bottoms shredded, their torso cut and scarred…their face, menacing…guilty…but weak. Just as much as the street was covered in the dark red of blood, so was this person's face. He was beaten and he slowly tried to stumble to freedom.

Another set of footsteps can be heard in the distance, coming from the shroud of smoke. The injured being turns to move in the opposite direction, but through the smoke clouds he can still see the shadow of his enemy. The man responsible for the state he was in…the fierce being that showed exactly what his rage could be capable of.

A light flashed from within the smoke and propelled through the thick air and slashed right through the weakened being's chest. He fell to his knees and looked up, his eyes clearly showing the intense pain he felt. He desperately tried to speak, but only encountered more pain. He coughs up blood and falls flat, still choking on the blood coming up from inside his body. He managed to move his head and look up as the shrouded figure moved closer.

The feet of this powerful person stopped right before the weakened man's face. The injured warrior tensed up and closed his eyes. The powerful man reeled his foot back and swiftly smashed a kick right into the man that lay before him. The bloody and beaten man flipped up and fell on his back against a broken chunk of concrete. He felt the material shred at his back as he slid down and came to a rest of the shards of glass that covered the ground.

He couldn't move. He was in far too much pain and nothing was happening. The powerful warrior continued to walk slowly towards his opponent. The being kneeled down in front of the weak man and an evil smirk crossed his face.

" **You…you are…unstoppable…"** The weak man started to mumble. His fear getting the better of him. The powerful being started to chuckle, but the weaker of the two continued, **"You are capable…or far more evil than you realise…and you will be the end…of everything…"**

…

" **Noca…"**

The weaker man facial feature finally became visible through the blood and scars. It was Vernege...

The stronger man slowly moved forwards, his face finally revealed from the shroud of darkness and it was, indeed, Noca.

He clenched his right fist and propelled it through Vernege's chest, and then…

…

Noca shot out of bed and had to stifle a painful scream. He put his hands over his mouth and tensed up. He flashed Super Saiyan, illuminating the entire room, but only for a second. His power died down and Noca fell flat on his back. He struggled to calm his erratic breathing and his fists remained clenched. The Saiyan teen could only continue to stare up at his ceiling as the events of that powerful dream ran through his mind.

It had been a while since that even had happened, but now his mind was finally starting to bring those pained memories back to him, but that was a very vivid dream. Noca sat up again and looked at his hands. He started to think over the state of whatever city they were in and that's when realisation struck.

He had been responsible for the damage…the destruction…the…death.

Noca put his hand over his eyes and tried to push the dream out of his head. It was far too early in the morning and he just needed to get some more sleep before school the next day. He moved to the left and stood up out of his bed. He shook his head and went to the bathroom.

Noca stood over the sink, not bothering to turn the light on, and splashed water on his face. He closed his eyes and placed his hands on the counter. He leaned forward and a took a couple of deep breaths. Shaking his head one more time, Noca turned away and re-entered his room. He sent a casual glance towards his clock.

4:42am

The Saiyan teen knew he would get back to sleep after that immense experience. He quickly put on some jogging bottoms and a random top and headed out into the hallway. Slowly, Noca walked down the stairs and towards the front door. He stepped out into the fresh country air and breathed it in. He didn't know where he wanted to go, but his legs just carried him forward. Noca came to a halt near the lake and just stared across it.

The only sound that could be heard was the calming tones of a few early-birds. Noca closed his eyes and let himself become immersed in those sounds. It was comfortable, soothing.

" **Noca…"** A dark, whispered voice found its way to Noca's ears and broke him from this sense of serenity. His eyes snapped open and he looked across the lake. He could swear he saw a figure wearing a black cloak, standing there, facing his direction. Noca shook his head and nothing was there. He shut his eyes and dropped to his knees. For some reason he felt weak all of a sudden. It didn't make sense. Noca opened his eyes again and started to look around. Everything appeared to be shaking, his head felt light and he was dizzy. He started to rock forward slightly, but then a gentle hand arrived on his shoulder.

Noca knew this presence. It was familiar, soothing and helpful. Noca started to feel better and slowly turned around. A smile starting to form his face…but that was until his eyes met with the owner of that hand. It was the very same cloaked figure. Noca moved away, almost falling into the lake, but managing to steady himself. He looked back at the figure and was starting to feel fear.

" **Noca…"** The voice said once more, making the teen feel a huge sense of unease. Noca tried to get a word out, but the figure suddenly charged forward, punching him in the chest and shouting **"WAKE UP!"**

Noca flew back and splashed down in the lake…

…and then he shot up out of bed, coming face-to-face with Pan, who was taken clearly by surprise. She stumbled back and almost screamed.

" **Damn it, Noca,"** She said, slightly annoyed, **"You terrified me."**

" **I…I…"** Noca looked around, shocked by his surroundings. He was still in bed. He was sweating profusely and his breathing was heavy. He looked at the clock, needing confirmation of the time and date.

 _Tuesday 23_ _rd_ _September Age 794 – 7:45am_

Noca blinked a few times and then looked back at Pan.

" **Why are you so sweaty…what's wrong?"** She asked, clearly concerned for her boyfriend. Noca swallowed and met her eyes.

" **Just a bad dream…I'm ok,"** Noca lied, smiling back at her. She smirked back and leaned in to kiss him.

" **Well, get ready,"** She said getting back off of the bed and walking to the door, **"We'll be late for school otherwise."**

Noca looked back at her and smiled. Once she left the room he looked to the bathroom and pondered on that strange experience.

* * *

School passed by as it usually did for teenagers, slowly. Once out though, Noca, Pan and Bra all headed back to Capsule Corp. Noca would be meeting Vegeta for a training session while Pan and Bra would just hang-out and wait for Noca to finish. They weren't exactly keen on just sitting around and waiting, though. Pan would like to do some training, but she couldn't just ditch Bra and do that, plus she didn't really want to join Noca's and Vegeta's training. That stuff could get pretty brutal, and painful.

Instead, the girls just went for a walk through West City. They didn't have anywhere they particularly wanted to go, but they could just browse some shops and have some time, just the two of them. They stopped by a little Café to get themselves a drink. Pan went with a Latte, and Bra got herself a Hot Chocolate. Everything was just pretty simple. They would talk about each other's relationships and how things were. Even the topic of what would happen once the two of them had finished school came up. Considering they were both going to turn Sixteen in this school year they would need to know where they were planning to go afterwards.

Pan didn't have any ideas. She wasn't one for a scientific job, and she didn't really want to follow her Father's profession. Too much paperwork. Bra was certain she would follow her Mother's footsteps and become a scientist and one day manage Capsule Corp. Pan had complete faith in Bra achieving that feat, but that still didn't help her situation.

Bra suggested Pan try something that could mean a job with Capsule Corp. as well, but the Quarter-Saiyan girl still wasn't so sure. Bra didn't realise she had opened up such a great dilemma for Pan and felt a tiny bit guilty. She changed the topic and the girls started to joke with each other as they continued on their walk through the city. They were coming close to the shopping centre, but then they became distracted by some huge commotion.

Groups of people were headed towards the business sector and everyone seemed to be a little bit worried. Pan watched as everyone rushed towards the commotion. She looked back and Bra.

" **I think they're heading towards the tower?"** Pan wondered. Bra seemed to have a bit of urgency to her now and rushed ahead of Pan.

" **We need to see what's happening,"** Bra told her friend before walking off. Pan quickly caught up and the girls rushed along with the rest of the crowds. They eventually came into full view of the tower and could spot something on the side of the building…climbing up.

Pan and Bra moved to the front of the crowds, but found that police had already come and blocked the area off.

" **Sorry, no civilians past this point,"** An officer told them. Bra tried to push through.

" **I am Bra Brief, this is my Mother's company. Let me in!"** Bra yelled. Pan held her back as the officer stepped forward.

" **We're sorry Miss Brief, but we can't let you past,"** The Police officer told her, sincerely. Bra glared at him, but turned away. Pan stepped forward.

" **What about the people inside?"** She asked.

" **We've asked them to stay put, for now. We need to know how much of a threat this thing is…first,"** The officer told her. Pan thought for a second and then stepped forward again.

" **Let me check it out, Mr Satan's my father and I can handle myself,"** She said confidently, but the Officer held her back.

" **Sorry, but no one can go through…no one."**

Pan and Bra stepped back and moved through the crowd again. This time Pan was leading. Bra didn't even know where her friend was heading, but once they came to a clear space out of view. Pan revealed all.

" **I'm going to fly up there and see what this thing is,"** Pan told her friend, but Bra wasn't sure of this idea.

" **You're crazy, it could be dangerous,"** Bra tried to talk sense into her.

" **It looks the same as the robot that we saw before, I can deal with that just fine,"** Pan said, giving her friend a confident wink before slowly taking off and moving towards the Capsule Corp. Tower. Bra still wasn't so sure, but she just wished her friend luck.

As Pan flew up to meet the robot, it began to drill into the wall. It was only about halfway up, but apparently it thought this was the right spot. One of it's hands was gripped onto the wall. Apparently this robot didn't have the ability to fly. Pan slowly moved towards it the closer she got. She hoped it would come of sneakily, but the robot had something flag up on its sensors. It knew Pan was coming close. It turned around swiftly and leapt from the wall, tackling Pan and breaking her concentration. It forced its weight down on her and made her fall towards the ground.

Both Robot and Saiyan fell at a pace as Pan struggled to push the bot off of her. She was beginning to get fairly panicked as she knew the ground was coming ever closer. She eventually managed to kick the bot away and use her energy to stop herself. She came to a halt mere inches from the ground, but was so unfocussed that she still lost control and dropped. Pan was now within the confines of the Police barricade. The robot had fallen just metres away from here and was unscathed.

The robot started to sprint towards her and attempted to tackle her once again, but Pan dodged out of the way by moving to the right. The bot quickly turned and attempted a kick for her side, but the girl was quick to catch its leg. It was exactly the same design as the previous robot, but it definitely had a better sense of skill. It opened up a wrist launcher and started to fire machine-gun like weapon at the girl. Pan let go of the bot's leg and rolled away. She avoided all the gunfire and then sprung back at the bot.

She landed a flat foot against the robot's chest and knocked it back. It quickly stabilises itself and then turned to instantly fire a rocket at the tower doors. Pan quickly zipped past the bot and went for the rocket. She gently managed to get in front of it and move it up towards empty space. The teen then acted quickly at fired a Ki blast to detonate it.

The rocket exploded and everyone started to breathe again, but Pan had distracted herself. The robot jumped for her and pinned her against the wall. They cracked against the glass and Pan couldn't move away. This bot was certainly stronger than the last one. Pan was extremely uncomfortable. That was when the robot moved its arm towards her neck and revealed a small needle. Pan's breathing instantly became erratic when she noticed that and she was already doing her best to move, but to no avail. The needle was coming closer to her neck and Pan was getting scared she couldn't move either of her arms.

Suddenly, the robot was struck on the head and it turned to face the culprit. Bra had managed to come forward and threw something. The robot adjusted its attention. It started to scan Bra and made a successful beeping noise.

" **New target identified: Saiyan."** The robot said. Pan certainly made a mental note of that. The robot aimed its right arm at the Blue-Haired girl and preparing to fire the weapon. Pan acted quickly finally having the robot distracted. She swung her legs up and kicked the robot's arm off. The bot turned to try and plunge the needle into her neck, but Pan punched it in the chest ripping out wires in the process. It started to spark and then collapsed to the ground.

Pan caught her breath and calmed herself. Bra rushed over and hugged her.

" **You ok?"** She asked the Raven-Haired teen. Pan smirked.

" **I'm good…but…it was looking for a Saiyan,"** Pan told her best-friend. Bra looked down at the bot and raised an eyebrow. She was unsure of what to think of it. She quickly clicked her fingers and grabbed a capsule, deciding to put the robot inside. "What are you doing?"

" **We're going to take this robot to my Mom, she'll be able to study it then,"** Bra said, believing it was the best idea. Pan looked up as people started to come over.

" **Fine, let's just get out of here first,"** Pan said as she grabbed her friend and flew off quickly. They landed back outside the Compound.

" **Please don't do that again Pan…I didn't enjoy that,"** Bra said, brushing herself off.

" **Sorry, needed to get out of there quick,"** Pan said, smiling, but then it disappeared, **"We can't give your Mom that robot."**

Bra stopped and turned to face her friend with a perplexed look written on her face, **"Why not?"**

" **Because what if it's a spy robot…what if it has access to everything that happens inside the Compound…what then?"** Pan questioned. Realising just how bad this could turn out. Bra contemplated it and then sighed. She agreed, but it would've been interesting to see what made that bot tick. Pan held her hand out for the Capsule. Bra handed it to her and then the Quarter-Saiyan vaporised it with an energy blast.

" **We won't be able to keep this a secret…it will be on the news,"** Bra told her friend as they walked through the halls.

" **I know, I saw it."**

The voice didn't belong to Pan. The girls turned around slowly and saw Noca standing there, a smirk on his face.

" **Well, we dealt with it,"** Pan said as she smiled back, **"And you're in a better mood now."**

" **Vegeta and I talked it out and you know, fighting helps,"** Noca said, smiling again as he put his arm around his girlfriend. The trio walked down the halls as Bra and Pan told them what had happened, even though Noca had seen the news, but he obliged.

Meanwhile, Vegeta was in the shower and thinking about something important.

" _ **Is Noca having visions of the future…are they trying to tell him something? How can we help it?"**_

" _ **Questions for another time, Vegeta."**_ A voice spoke back to the Prince and he was shocked

" _ **Who are you?"**_ Vegeta asked, but there was no reply. He clenched his fist and turned off the shower. " _ **Whatever…I'll find out eventually."**_

* * *

Time passed by as both Noca and Bra turned 16-years-old. Noca didn't want a fuss made about him, but there was a simple party set-up at Capsule Corp. He appreciated it, but would've preferred something quiet. Meanwhile, Bra had a family party and then a party with school friends involved. Unfortunately, no matter how much she asked her, Bulma wouldn't let Bra have alcohol at her party. She didn't want drunk teenagers on her property. She needed to maintain her status as a good Mother.

The party was still a success and soon after, winter arrived. Snow began to fall. School finished and it was time for…CHRISTMAS! But first Noca had a training session with Vegeta. The terrible weather conditions would serve as some very good environmental training and both Saiyans were ready to give it their all. They settled on a nice valley for their fight. They were isolated and everything would go swimmingly.

 _Sunday 21_ _st_ _December Age 794_

Pure white snow covered the entire valley in a huge blanket. It was astounding how much snow had fallen this year. The icy wind swept through at a gentle pace and the scenery looked untouched and peaceful. Just like a blank canvas. Not a single disturbance in sight.

A sudden explosion caused a huge rumble to occur and a lot of now started to roll down into the valley some more, effectively working to way to fill it up. The silence and peace of the area was finally disrupted and the cause of this…Noca and Vegeta.

A body flew from the location of the explosion and smashed down into the snow, rolling all the way to the edge, almost falling into the valley below. The person was surrounded by a powerful golden aura and was wearing a battle armour, with black underclothes. Noca had been taken off-guard by that powerful explosive attack and needed to recover quick. He slowly pushed up and got back to his feet. He clenched his fists and cracked his neck, focussing up into the air.

A figure appeared behind the teen and then sent a cracking kick into Noca's ribs. The boy was flung to the left and smashed down into the snow once more, but put his hands out and pushed up to flip back to his feet. Noca then swung around and threw a Ki blast towards Vegeta, but the Prince was already charging towards Noca. In the movement he managed to swat the Ki blast away and then aimed a fist for his opponent's head. Noca caught the fist and then threw his own one in retaliation, but Vegeta was equal to it and caught it without hesitation.

Noca hadn't seen this predicament coming, but acted first and attacked with a head-butt. The impacted forced Vegeta to gain some distance, but Noca had already moved fasted to get into the attack and performed a jumping kick with both feet, into Vegeta's chest. The Prince stumbled away some more, but wasn't going to get caught in another attack and pushed himself into the air. He stopped about 10 metres up and sent a barrage of Ki blasts down around the teen.

The blasts were coming from Noca's right so the teen started to jump and roll to the left in an effort to stay out of reach. The were coming down very rapidly and regularly so the teen had to make sure he was on top of his movements. He was doing well, but the Saiyan Prince was beginning to feel the frustration of his futile attempts and instead stopped the barrage and tried something a bit more effective.

Vegeta held up one arm, aimed towards Noca and powered up a large Ki ball. He smirked and then fired the attack, not even bothering to yell the name this time. It was, of course, the big bang attack. Noca had stopped when the final Ki blast landed down and had now placed himself in a very difficult position. The ball of energy blasted down towards Noca at an immense pace and the teen could only throw up a cross-armed block. The ball exploded against Noca's body, covering the air in smoke, and impairing the teen's vision.

Noca accidently inhaled and took in some of the smoke so he began to cough quite a bit. He tried to wave the smoke away as he continued to choke, not knowing what to do in that situation. That was when he sensed an approach and was in no way ready for it. Vegeta came in through the smoke and crunched an uppercut into Noca's gut, throwing the teen into the air. Vegeta swiftly grabbed Noca's leg afterwards and then slammed him down on his back. The Prince followed up by dropping a strong right punch towards the teens face, but Noca quickly rolled to the left slightly and jumped up, kicking Vegeta in the back.

The Prince started to stumble forward, but quickly swung around to try and strike Noca, but the teen flipped back and pounced off of a rock, propelling himself back at Vegeta. The Prince had let his guard down so Noca was given a clear passage to strike his knee right into Vegeta's face. Noca then pushed past and landed behind the Prince. The teen was prepared to keep going with his attack and swung around swiftly to land a strong right punch into the Prince's lower back. Vegeta arched a little in pain, but wasn't give any breathing room when Noca swung a left hook round into the left side of Vegeta's head.

Vegeta started to stumble to the right, but shook it off to charge back in and try to take an advantage in this challenge. He lunged back at Noca with his right arm reeled back, ready to punch. The only problem with this was that the teen had also charged in with the same idea. Both fist clashed into each other and there was an erupting shock wave that occurred due to the sheer output of energy from each Saiyan's arm. The shock wave rumbled all the way through the valley and started to cause mini-avalanches. It was definitely a lot of power. There were plenty of cracks heard from the cliff edge that both were standing on. Neither decided to move as there were small sparks of energy around their bodies, signifying their rise in power.

Soon enough, the cliff edges started to crumble down into the valley and that was a sign that they should move away, quickly. Both jump as it starts to fall away. Noca just about manages to make it as the first bit of land he makes contact with breaks away, but a swift rise made sure he made it. He could fly after all, so it wasn't that difficult a situation to get out of. Noca took a second to regain his composure and took a look down into the valley, to get an idea of what he would have landed in.

This was a big oversight from Noca as he completely ignored the fact that Vegeta never gave anyone a chance to rest. The Prince phased and got Noca with an uppercut as the teen started to turn around. Vegeta then followed up with a powerful barrage of punches into the teen's chest and gut before performing a back-flip-kick up into Noca's chin and sending him up. Noca wasn't that easily beaten down, however and managed to roll and then dropped back towards his opponent. He hammered his fists down on the Prince and managed to knock him down into the valley below.

Vegeta crashed down through many tree branches and fell beyond Noca's sight. He took to the air and hovered above the valley, facing the direction that Vegeta had fallen and he slowly raised an arm, preparing some sort of Ki attack. The only thing is, he didn't even need to use it as a glint of light caught the teen's attention and another Ki attack came flying towards him. Noca's eyes went wide as the blast fired towards him, but he had enough pace to dodge out of the way and avoid harm. That blast had been a diversion though. Vegeta flashed up towards the teen and stopped right in front of Noca, blasting him away from close range. The teen was sent crashing back down into the snow once again.

He slid along the ground before flipping up and landed back on his feet. He looked up to see that Vegeta was already charging down and he decided to follow suit. They both charged at each other and clashed once more. Upon clashing there was a huge flash of golden light and they were completed shrouded by energy. Once the light started to die away there was a reveal of both Saiyans fighting at the Ascended level, throwing rapid punches and kicks at one another.

While in the exchange of attacks, Noca attempted to send his right foot up to connect with Vegeta's head, but the Saiyan Prince swung up a left arm and blocked the kick. Due to Noca's awkward position Vegeta had another clear opening to jab a right fist into the teen's chest. That would've hit, had Noca not had an increased level of speed and blocked with his right arm. Vegeta, knowing that neither of them could make an attack in this scenario started to slowly move Noca's leg down, clearing space for him to send in a left hook.

The teen was knocked to the side and then Vegeta leapt towards him and hammered his fists towards the boy, but Noca put both of his hands above his head and blocked the incoming hammer blow. This put a stop to the attack effortlessly, but Vegeta continued by using both feet to kick Noca in the gut. That was effective enough to knock Noca away, and break up the swift attacking. But Vegeta wasn't done yet. The Prince jabbed his right fist forward, but once again Noca was on hand to block it with both his hands.

With Vegeta's fist firmly caught by Noca's grip, the teen was given the chance to take another advantage in the battle. He pushed his energy to that one location and let an explosive blast build up. Due to the close proximity and the lack of space to grow, the blast instantly detonated, throwing both Noca and Vegeta away from each other. They both landed back on the ground, but barely let their toes touch the snow before they were at each other's throats again. Noca used instant transmission to trick Vegeta into thinking he was coming for him, but the teen put himself into a very advantageous position once more. He was up in the air above and charged down with a kick, dropping into Vegeta's back. The Prince slammed down into the snow as Noca flipped back higher into the air.

Once at his preferred distance, the boy unleashed a barrage of ordinary Ki blasts. They slammed down on the ground and space around Vegeta. Even a few were direct enough to make contact. Vegeta wasn't in a very good position right now. Noca ended his barrage with a final, single blast. This one contained more power than the previous ones and was intended as a finisher. He threw the ball down on his teacher and it collided, making an almighty flash of light that flooded the area. This was in stark contrast to the black clouds that loomed over the are. More bad weather was on its way.

Noca hovered in the air, still. He could feel the winds getting stronger and the sharpness of the freezing cold scraped against his skin. He was already warmed enough by his energy, but it wouldn't be that way for too much longer. Not with the drastic change in weather. Some more snow began to fall as Noca kept his eyes down on Vegeta. The Prince had started to move a little and Noca could sense an increase in power. That was when Vegeta turned around and reveal a massive amount of purple energy growing in his hands. Vegeta pulled his arms back to the left side of his head and smirked. Noca knew what move was happening and prepared his own attack. He pulled his hands to his right side and powered up some blue energy. Meanwhile, the snow was getting worse.

Vegeta thrust his hands forward yelling **"Galick Gun Fire!"**

While Noca did the same, instead yelling **"Kamehameha!"**

Both energy waves sailed through the air, the snow and the wind, not fazed by the strength of the atmosphere and instead crashed into each other, emitting a large output of energy over the area. It seemed that the more the energy of the two fighters increased so did the weather, and it didn't bode well for either of the fighters. Both were unfocussed on their attacks and were pulling off, but Noca more so than Vegeta. The Prince saw this and managed to push his attack through.

The Galick Gun broke through the Kamehameha and soared right towards Noca. The teen was taken by complete surprise and was well and truly beaten by that attack. The blast crashed into his body and exploded, throwing Noca from the scene back down into the valley. The greater strength of the Wind and Snow was impairing Vegeta's vision and he couldn't spot where Noca had landed. He moves in the direction that Noca had fallen, but had to hold his arms up in front of him to block the snow and wind. He scouted the area, despite not having a clear line of sight, and everything was getting worse.

He eventually comes to an opening and sets down on the ground. Trying to look around was a task in itself. The wind couldn't make its mind up on where it was going and that was infuriating to Vegeta. He couldn't see anything either. He called out for Noca hoping to receive some sort of response, but nothing was coming. He crossed his arms and waited for a second, but then he was suddenly smashed into from behind and knocked to his knees.

That attack had come from nowhere and was confused. He slowly got up to his feet, finding it difficult because of the weather, but he persisted. He turned around on the spot and called out for Noca once more. Then he was hit from the left and stumbled to the side, managing to stabilise himself easier this time. Until he was struck from behind once again. He stumbled forward, but stopped himself from falling. He smirked, knowing that Noca had used this to his advantage and had continued the fight. He didn't give up because of the bad conditions and Vegeta was proud of that. He even noticed that the teen had returned to his base form to hide himself better. It was an entertaining technique.

Noca was even masking his energy, making things that much worse. Vegeta took a step forward, but was easily hit in the face and stumbled back some more. He growled in annoyance and was struck no the side again. He yelled out in anger and then dropped his power away. He was going to play Noca's game and hide in the snow. Now there was no more golden light. Now sound of fighting. No Vegeta. No Noca. Just snow…and wind.

A sudden flash of burning golden light erupted once more and the two of Super Saiyan 2s had clashed once more. They were throwing punches and kicks at each other with far more intensity than before and it was a sight to behold. If anyone was watching. Both of the fighters pulled away and then charged forward with energy attack, smashing together and there was finally a huge explosion which resulted in…nothing.

…

The snow had stopped. The wind had died down for now. The are was silent. Not a single trace of fighting was left. The snow blanketed the entire area and everything was peaceful. There was some slight movement from beneath the snow as a hand pulled out and started to come further from beneath the surface. As more was revealed it becomes obvious that this person is hurt, cut, bruised and their clothes are very damaged. Their spiky dark hair is wet and covering part of their face. Noca was exhausted and he was certainly happy that the fight was over.

He completely pulled himself out of the snow and started to drag his feet through and kept his eyes on the ground as if looking for something. Eventually his eyes fall on a gloved hand. Noca reaches down and grabs the hand, pulling on it to soon show Vegeta. He was in the same position. Exhausted, cut, bruised and bloody. They two smirked at each other and then took off, starting to fly towards the Capsule Corp. compound.

When they eventually landed down on the ground, Bulma rushed out to give them both Senzu beans and scold Vegeta.

" **If you're not training with Goku or Gohan non-stop you have to find some other poor soul, don't you?"** Bulma yelled in her Husband's ear. He just waved her off and stood up, walking off into the building. Bulma shook her head and then helped Noca up. He was fine now, but the sudden shift in temperature was a bit confusing to his body. As soon as he entered the building with Bulma holding his arm he called out to Vegeta.

" **Hey,"** Noca called. Vegeta stopped and turned his head slightly to show he was listening. **"Next time we start at Super Saiyan 2."**

Vegeta nodded before continuing down the hall. Noca smirked and then let Bulma help him warm up so that he could be ready to head home. He really felt like some progress had been made in that fight and he was truly excited to take it further. After the whole event with Beerus, they had a level to aspire to…and that was interesting.

* * *

 _So, I have to say, I had no idea how to start this chapter when I was writing it so I went with another Dream sequence to show that the effect of killing someone was still getting to Noca. As I was writing I decided to do the dream within a dream thing because it felt cool, if I'm honest. Let me know what you think in a lovely review!_

 _Next Time...Chapter 8: Relationship Trouble_


	8. Arc III: Relationship Trouble

_Hey, new chapter! Hope you enjoy._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 8: Relationship Trouble**_

Time seemed to keep going as usual. There were no more disturbances for the rest of the winter and everything just carried on as normal. Christmas came and went without any issues and everyone had a nice time. The same thing happened for this Christmas that happened almost every year. Gohan, Videl, Noca and Pan all went to Capsule Corp. to spend the time as part of a bigger group and everyone enjoyed themselves.

This then led on into the New Year celebrations, which of course was also spent at Capsule Corp. Not everything happened as usual though. Trunks had decided to use this time to do something very important to him. He proposed to Marron. She, of course, said yes and everyone was happy that there would soon be another wedding to organise. Bulma as definitely the happiest with this news as her first born was finally getting married. All she kept doing now was telling him it was time to have children. Trunks wasn't ready for that right now.

As they all entered the New Year, Age 795, the next event to come up was Pan's birthday. It was obviously a fairly big birthday so they did decide to have a party, but it was only a family and friends party. It went well, everyone had fun and no problems occurred. Soon after, Valentines day passed with Pan and Noca spending the evening out together. Afterwards was Rei's second birthday so there was a little party for the little man, and he received lots of gifts.

Now we're going to delve into the lives of our characters a bit more.

* * *

 _Thursday 26_ _th_ _February Age 795_

The group were sitting in the school cafeteria, just eating their lunches and chatting as usual. What else would they be doing? Bra decided to bring up a new topic, just to see how her friends would react to this suggestion. She had an idea of what their responses would be, but that wouldn't deter her from putting it out there.

" **So, there's a party coming up,"** Bra started, only to be immediately interrupted by a very audible sigh from the Raven-Haired girl to her left. Pan put her head in her hands and closed her eyes.

" **Don't just pass it off straight away,"** Bra continued, putting a hand on her friend's back, **"It could be fun?"**

" **It hardly ever is,"** Noca replied, agreeing with Pan's stance on the matter.

" **Come on, it's gonna be a house party, their parents are out of town,"** Bra continued, hoping this would help change their minds.

" **Oh wow, why didn't you say so?"** Noca questioned, sarcastically. Bra narrowed her eyes and sent the boy a playful glare. Noca smirked as he returned to sandwich.

" **Come on, guys,"** Bra groaned, **"I wanna go, but I want you guys there."**

" **Who told you about the party,"** Pan asked.

" **It was Kareshi, at least he's talking to me about something…I just wish he'd spend more time with me,"** Bra trailed off, but Pan understood that things hadn't been great recently. **"It's been a few weeks since we last went out together…it's really weird."**

" **Don't worry, Bra,"** Pan responded. It was her turn to put her hand on Bra's back. **"We'll go to this party with you if you really want us to."**

Noca groaned, but put on a fake sulking face. Pan turned to him and smirked. The other two girls and Dom said they would be up for going as well.

" **When is it?"** Dom asked, just trying to get into the conversation.

" **It's this weekend, Saturday night, everyone ok with that?"**

Everyone agreed that Saturday was a good day for them. No one had anything planned so they were all free to go to this party, even if some of them weren't really enthusiastic about doing so.

* * *

 _Saturday 28_ _th_ _February Age 794_

The weekend came around and everyone was on their way to this house-party. The whole group, minus Bra, met close to the party and walked there together. Bra was already there with Kareshi so they would be meeting the couple later. When they finally arrived at the street where the party was held, it was a shock to see that it was a fairly rich area. The party was actually being held in a fairly large house so there were a lot of guests. Maybe even people that the host didn't even know were showing up, but nobody seemed to care. That usually led to dangerous things, but hopefully none of that would occur this night.

When they enter the building they can see that alcohol is being served, but the teens are a bit concerned as to whether or not they should accept any of it. They are still underage, after all. Their parents would object. Once the group got their first drinks (nothing Alcohol) they then met up with Bra and Kareshi. Noca can tell that Kareshi is drinking alcohol. He can smell it without being next to the other teen. Noca knows it isn't his place to say what Kareshi should or shouldn't be drinking, but it when it was offered to him, Noca rejected it.

Bra dragged the other girls to go and dance with them and have some fun, while Kareshi used this time to talk with the two guys. They hadn't hung out together in a while so there was a fair bit to catch up on. Noca decided to use this time to ask about what was actually going on between he and Bra recently. It seemed like something that definitely needed to be spoken about.

Kareshi was busy talking about himself when Noca decided to interject and get his question in there.

" **So why have you and Bra been distant?"** Noca asked, putting it straight out there. Kareshi fell silent for a second and cleared his throat.

" **It's nothing, I just thought we needed a bit of space…it's all ok now though** ," Kareshi mentioned. Noca raised and eyebrow and didn't want to just accept that.

" **What do you mean space, why would you want to distance yourself from her, what does that accomplish?"** Noca questioned, kind of putting Kareshi on the spot and causing him to stumble over his words a little.

" **I…well…it's just that I felt we…we needed to…I don't know, it just kinda happened,"** Kareshi responded, getting fairly annoyed, but tried not to show it. **"It's ok now though, in fact, I think our relationship is starting to progress."**

" **Progress? How?"** Noca questioned further. He looked to Dom who shrugged his shoulders and then they looked back to Kareshi.

" **You know, progress…as in the next step,"** Kareshi suggested what he meant, but Noca didn't really get it right away. Dom started to get an idea, but just sighed and looked away, not really wanting to be a part of this conversation. He definitely found it fairly awkward. **"Really Noca, you don't understand?"**

Noca looked over to Dom and smirked back to Kareshi.

" **You seem to forget I was raised in the mountains. Just because I'm in a relationship you think I understand every single aspect of being in one?"** Noca mentioned, getting slightly amused by this conversation now.

" **You and Pan must've reached that stage?"** Kareshi said in a questioning tone. Noca shrugged his shoulders. The thing is, Noca did understand what Kareshi was talking about, but he wanted to heat the words come from his mouth. Dom couldn't tell that Noca knew what was going on, but he still didn't say anything.

Noca keeps his eyes on Kareshi now, not averting his gaze as Kareshi continued to dig himself a deeper hole. Dom still makes sure to stay back.

" **Look, I'm sure Dom will explain it all to you,"** Kareshi says, putting a hand on the Saiyan Teen's shoulder, **"But me and Bra are at a great stage in our relationship and lets just say I think tonight is that night."**

Noca raised an eyebrow as Kareshi patted him on the back and walked off to talk to another one of his friends. As Kareshi continued away, Dom moved over to Noca and started to talk a bit quieter.

" **Please tell me you understood what he was talking about?"** Dom questioned. Noca looked at his friend and nodded without saying anything. He crossed his arms and stood looking blankly ahead. **"What are we going to do?"**

Noca looked to Dom with a questioning look. **"What do you mean?"**

" **Oh, come on, Noca. He was talking about having Sex with Bra…tonight!"** Dom was certainly getting riled up about this. Maybe it was the way that Kareshi had talked about it, or maybe it was down to Dom's true feelings, but Noca couldn't read it right now.

" **Bra is smart, if she thinks she's not ready…she'll say no,"** Noca assured Dom, but he slowly started to clench his fist. He definitely felt protective over the Blue-Haired girl, his family. He didn't want anything bad to happen to her, but he also held trust in her judgement. Noca looks over to Bra and the other girls and can see that a random guy is flirting with them, well…more with Pan.

Noca turns and starts to walk towards them. He can see that the guy is trying to get his arm around Pan and she is using her best efforts to avoid him, clearly rejecting his advances. He is clearly drunk, but Noca still wants to put him in his place.

Pan can feel Noca's energy flaring a little bit and his anger is definitely at a different level. She can feel him approaching as well and knows she should deal with the situation as soon as possible rather than let Noca do anything. She pushes the boy away, knocking him to the floor and tells him she has a boyfriend. Noca stops, knowing the situation is solved and tilts his head to the right. Pan turns to face her boyfriend and pokes her tongue out at him in a playful manner. Noca smirks and turns back to return to Dom's side.

* * *

The night went on and everyone continued to enjoy the party, but it was starting to get a bit late. Kareshi decided that now was the time to attempt his move. He managed to get Bra away from her friends and they moved to the side to talk. He had to build up his confidence with this, but he was definitely adamant that things would go his way.

" **So, I think you should come over to mine tonight** ," Kareshi suggests to his girlfriend. Bra is a bit surprised by the suggestion at first, but she does ponder it for a second.

" **Well, I don't have to be home tomorrow, but…"** Bra started, still thinking about whether or not it really was a good idea.

" **My parents aren't there,"** Kareshi quickly added, hoping that would help cement Bra's decision on the matter. Bra continued to ponder it, but she wasn't sure what was the best option. She knew she wanted to spend some more time with Kareshi, but this ask seemed to come out of nowhere and confused the Blue-Haired teen, just a little.

" **I guess it is closer, and I am a little tipsy…"** Bra said, leaning towards saying yes. Kareshi seemed to have a pleased smile forming on his face and Bra knew she couldn't take that hope away now. **"Ok, I guess it should cool."**

" **Awesome,"** Kareshi said, clearly feeling happy with this news, **"Do you wanna get outta here now, then?"**

Bra wasn't sure why Kareshi suddenly wanted to rush out now, but Bra couldn't lie that she wouldn't mind leaving now. She agrees to it and then the two of them go off to tell the rest of their friends that they're leaving. The others don't mind, although Noca and Dom send each other questioning looks, quickly. They decide not to worry about it.

The couple leave and head off fairly quickly. Bra didn't understand the speed, but didn't question it. They soon arrived back at Kareshi's house and immediately went up to his room. Bra dropped down onto his bed and lay back, feeling pretty tired. Kareshi sits down beside her and places a hand on her leg. When she lay down her skirt had move up a little so Kareshi had a slight view of her underwear and he started to get a little excited, if you know what I mean.

He started to run his hand up and down her leg, not making his move completely obvious just yet. Bra liked the feeling of his hand on her leg. Kareshi started to be very gentle and soft meaning that it would start to tickle Bra a bit. She definitely reacted to the tingle and moved her leg a little.

" **You should probably take your clothes off before going to bed,"** Kareshi suggested, Bra was a little surprised at the way Kareshi said it and suddenly she was very aware of what was going on. She sat up a little and smiled a Kareshi, but she still wasn't sure about everything. Bra just lays back turning away and not listening. Kareshi moves up alongside her and lays behind her. He places a hand on her side and slowly starts to move it up and around.

He slowly starts to move it around to the front and gets very close to her breasts. He slows it down, but doesn't stop. Bra opens her eyes and quickly turns.

" **What are you doing?"** She asks. Kareshi pulls his hand away.

" **Come on, we should mess around a little,"** Kareshi suggests as he moves in closer to her and starts kissing her. She doesn't deny him that as they have kissed loads of times. Kareshi then puts his right hand between her legs and starts to move it up. She moves her hand down and grabs his wrist.

" **Wait, stop,"** Bra said, not sure if this is the right thing to happen. Kareshi was very disappointed by Bra's reaction.

" **We've been together for a long time now…we're both ready for this,"** He told her as he continued to kiss her. Bra pushes him back and looks into his eyes.

" **But I'm not ready…"** Bra muttered. Kareshi takes a breath.

" **But we're old enough…"** He tells her as he pushes in again and continues to kiss her, but Bra is starting to feel beyond incredibly uncomfortable. She pushes back and gets Kareshi off of her.

" **No, we should wait a bit longer,"** Bra tells him. Clearly not wanting to do this. **"I'm really not ready for this."**

Bra got up and moved to the edge of the bed. She sits at the edge for a second and takes a deep breath. She then stands up and moves to the doorway, wanting to leave. Kareshi quickly gets up and rushes over. He grabs her arm and turns her around.

" **I want this,"** He tells her, staring into her eyes. Bra starts to get a little worried and feels that Kareshi has a very tough grip on her wrist. The teen sucks it up and then puts on a very serious face.

" **Let go of me. I'm not ready, accept that."** Bra tells him, sternly. Kareshi realises what he did, lets go and steps back. Bra walks out, not saying another word to Kareshi. She makes her way up the road a little and then calls Pan.

Once she asked Pan to come and pick her up, she sat down at the end of the road and started to think over what had happened, trying her best not to react to it all.

* * *

Pan didn't take long to show up. She wasn't alone either. The Saiyan girl had brought Noca and Dom along with her, although Dom had to be carried by Noca. Bra was the one with all the Capsules so Dom didn't have a means of transport. The teens all met with Bra and asked what had happened and why she wanted to be escorted home all of a sudden.

" **You were staying with Kareshi tonight, what happened? Why'd you change your mind?"** Pan asked her friend, feeling fairly worried about it. Bra didn't respond the way any of them were expecting.

" **Can I just go home…I don't wanna talk about it,"** Bra muttered to them. She gave Pan the Capsule-Jet and they all boarded. Pan continued to ask if Bra was ok while Dom and Noca sat in the Driver and front-passenger seat respectively. Bra continued to tell Pan that she didn't want to talk about anything and looked out of the window, in silence.

They dropped Bra off and she said a weak goodbye and rushed in. She even forgot to take her jet back, but that helped because Dom was meant to be staying with Noca and Pan that night so he was able to fly it back to their house. When Bra got back into the Compound she immediately rushed up to her room, ignored her mother and went straight to bed.

Meanwhile, on the way back to the Moori Forest, Pan was still extremely worried about Bra and kept wondering what had happened.

" **I just don't get it…"** Pan muttered.

" **I have to admit, it was strange,"** Dom replied, also concerned. Noca was the only one sat in silence as he continued to contemplate things. He believed he knew what the problem was, but he didn't want to let Pan know, at least not yet. The only problem with Noca keeping things to himself, Pan could sense the confliction in his mind and that only worried her more.

As the night goes on, Pan goes to bed in her own room while Noca and Dom head to his room, but don't go to sleep straight away. Noca closes his door behind them and turns to Dom.

" **I think I know what was wrong with Bra,"** Noca lets his friend know. Dom thinks he has an idea as well, but doesn't say. **"It has to do with what Kareshi said…he may have spooked."**

" **Shall we talk to him, in school or something?"** Dom asked. Noca looked over to him and then to the ground before slowly shaking his head.

" **I don't know…"**

* * *

 _Wednesday 11_ _th_ _March Age 795_

Almost two weeks had passed since that party and the events that surrounded it, but Bra was still no closer to revealing what had happened that night. The girls had stopped prying and let the girl get on with it. It didn't seem to be a concern of Bra's either, but there was something on her mind that she just had to mention to her friends.

" **I haven't heard from Kareshi in about a week…"** Bra brought up in conversation at Lunch. The other girls were all confused because they hadn't heard anything about their relationship difficulties in a while. **"I've seen him once since that party…and he won't reply to my messages that often."**

" **I guess he's busy, but it is strange,"** Holline mentioned, but Bra shrugged her shoulders.

" **I really feel…insecure, angry and…"** Bra stopped and looked away, not wanting her friends to see her face for this, **"Scared."**

The girls didn't know what to say about that and let Bra take her time with what she had to say.

" **I feel really in the dark about what's going on in his life,"** Bra continues, but this time the girls believe they have a suggestion. It may not be the solution, but it could help.

" **You could always go and see him, show up at his house or something?"** Kiera suggested. The other two girls agreed with her and Bra contemplated it, but she didn't have a definitive answer.

After school, Bra did decide to go visit her absent Boyfriend. She makes sure to just show up at his house around a time that she knows he will be there, and doesn't inform him that she's on her way. She stepped up to his door and stalled before knocking. She wasn't sure she wanted to have this confrontation, but she needed to know what was happening and this was the only way it could happen.

She did eventually knock and Kareshi was the one to come to the door.

" **Oh…Bra,"** He clearly wasn't happy to see her, but he wasn't upset either. He was more surprised. **"What are you doing here?"**

" **I came to see what was going with you, haven't spoken in a week,"** Bra explained. She let off a half-smile and he invited her in. No one was home this time either.

" **Uh, do you want a drink?"** Kareshi asked, treating Bra like an ordinary guest rather than his girlfriend. This was a little confusing, but she passed on the drink. **"I'm sorry I haven't spoken much…I've been busy with the team and…my new job."**

" **You have a job?"** Bra questioned.

" **Yeah…"** Kareshi answered, half-heartedly.

" **You didn't tell me you had a job?"** Bra said, clearly not understanding why he would keep anything from her.

" **It just slipped my mind,"** Kareshi answered, even though he didn't seem at all convinced with his own response. Bra stood up and glared at him.

" **How does it just slip your mind, what are you hiding from me?"** Bra asked, but she was getting rather annoyed now. Kareshi didn't like that tone and stepped towards her.

" **I don't have to tell you everything that goes on in my life, why do you care so much? Just let me get on with it,"** Kareshi was clearly being over-defensive. Bra stepped back and really didn't like the tone he took with her. Both seemed disgusted with each other right now. **"I have my own question for you, will you ever be ready to sleep with me?"**

Bra stopped in her tracks and slowly looked over to her boyfriend. She didn't hold an angered expression this time, but more of a contemplating one.

" **I will…someday,"** She answered as she slowly walked off to look out of the window. Kareshi took a deep breath and looked pretty riled up. He stepped up to her again.

" **I can't just wait for someday…I'm ready for this and…and you just deny me,"** Kareshi explained, sounding rather rattled. Bra turned around and stood up to him.

" **There's more to a relationship than that,"** She says, right into his face. Kareshi is visibly angered by this and grabs her by her arms.

" **I'm ready for this…and I want it…"** He growls at her, his face very close to hers. She tries to back away and gets rather scared of Kareshi's reaction to her. She pushes off of him and pushes him back, but that only serves to rile him up some more. He moves up to her again and pushes her, but she falls to the floor and hits against the wall. As soon as he sees Bra in pain, Kareshi does stop and steps back seeing that he has done something wrong.

Bra gets back up and rushes out, not saying another word to Kareshi. She makes her way up the street and stops around the corner. She takes a couple of breaths to calm herself and then gets her jet out to go home. She feels tears coming to her eyes, but tries to shake them off.

* * *

 _Thursday 19_ _th_ _March Age 795_

In the time that passed, Bra hadn't spoken to Kareshi at all, and he hadn't even made the effort to reach out or even apologise for the way he had acted. Bra was very upset and angry, but felt like she had nothing to say to him. Deep down she wanted him to come and apologise to her, but there was a small part of her that wished she would never see him again. It was a very weird one for her.

When she was in school with friends she decided to ask Noca and Dom some questions to see if they knew anything. She approached them at lunch. This time they were outside, the weather was starting to pick-up. The group were all sitting at a bench together.

" **Have either of you spoken to Kareshi recently, or seen him?"** Bra asked, not wanting to dance around the topic and find a subtle way to bring it up. She needed to know.

" **We don't really see him much anymore,"** Noca started.

" **He does ask to meet up sometimes, but we're usually busy,"** Dom finished. Bra turned to face her lunch and started to think. Even the boys hadn't seen him and that was starting to worry her. Was he avoiding them? Had something happened? **"Why haven't you been seeing him?"**

Dom had asked a very valid and reasonable question, but Bra wasn't ready to answer and instead of saying something like she didn't know, she snapped at the boy.

" **I just haven't, why, is that a problem with you?"**

Dom was taken aback by that and seemed rather shocked. He immediately retreated himself and muttered a weak **"Sorry."**

Bra knew she shouldn't have acted like that, but she couldn't help it. Something was seriously wrong and she just wanted everything to be back to normal.

" **He did say something about a party…this Friday I think?"** Noca told his Blue-Haired cousin. He could tell that something was wrong, and he wanted to know, but when Bra was ready to tell them he was sure she would.

" **Where is the party?"** Bra asked, clearly eager to see him and find out why he had been avoiding her and everyone else for that matter. Noca gave her the address and told her that he was a hundred percent sure that Kareshi would be there. Bra was thankful for Noca's help. Now she just needed to strum up the courage to walk into that party and find Kareshi. She wanted this to be settled and it had to be now.

* * *

 _Friday 20_ _th_ _March Age 795_

Bra found the address with relative ease, but she still wasn't feeling confident. She hadn't bothered to dress-up for the party and just wore something casual. After-all, she wasn't there to party. She was there to sort out her relationship. She walked in, no one stopping her and she immediately started to scour the area for her boyfriend or any of his team-mates. She wasn't doing too well, until one of them approached her.

" **Hey,"** yelled Kareshi's friend James as he stumbled over to the teen. He was clearly drunk. **"What're you doin' here?"**

Bra looked at him and she immediately put on her most serious face. She was Vegeta's daughter after-all, she could probably be very menacing when she needed to be.

" **Where's Kareshi?"** Bra asked, not bothering to acknowledge his question. James looked around to try and find him, but just shrugged his shoulders.

" **I have no idea…he wandered off a bit ago…"** James answered. Bra sighed and sent a weak, fake smile back at James as she walked off. She had no idea what she was meant to do. This was going to prove to be a difficult task. She kept looking around and that was making her really annoyed. That was when it hit her. She was a Saiyan. Bra may not have the best abilities, but they were still there inside her. She would be able to use her senses to find him.

The girl closed her eyes and stood still. She tried to focus everything that she could and drowned out the sound of the party. There was a small blip on the radar in her mind and it was easily recognisable. It was familiar. It was Kareshi. She opened her eyes and followed that little strand of energy that she caught. The strangest thing about Kareshi's minimal energy, was that it was being used for something. She couldn't tell what, but he was definitely exerting some of it. Something in her instincts told her to move much quicker. So she did.

She found herself leaving the main party area and going through the halls. There were still people out there, drinking, dancing, chatting, but Bra had something more important to do. She walked past them all and found herself heading to the stairs. She still wasn't sure why she had been brought here and where this tiny bit of energy was taking her, but that didn't mean she would stop.

Bra rushed up the stairs and then along the hallway before coming to a halt at a door that was slightly ajar. She didn't know what would be awaiting her behind this wooden door, but something told her it wasn't going to be good. She can hear some slight noises of rustling coming from the room and the sounds of people. Bra's worst fear about tonight was starting to come through and she started to clench her fist. The tears were already starting to form in her eyes.

Slowly, she reached for the metal door-handle, her hand not touching it but instead hovering over. She wasn't sure this was what she really wanted. She started to feel choked up and accidently let out a little sob, but that was apparently enough noise to alert the occupants of the room.

" **Who's there? Give us some privacy!"** A male voice came from inside the room and Bra instantly recognised it and that only confirmed her worst fears. She burst into the room and glare right at the two occupants of the bed. Tears already starting to stream down her face, but Bra was enraged.

" **So this is why you won't talk to me…"** She stated, clenching both fists and breathing heavily. The girl underneath Kareshi pushed out and sat up in the bed. She looked over at Bra and then back at Kareshi.

" **Who is she?"** The girl asked Kareshi. The boy was lost for words. He didn't expect Bra to come along and he had no response to this situation. Luckily, Bra was ready.

" **I'm Bra, Kareshi's girlfriend,"** She said, straightforward, glaring at the girl and then back at Kareshi. The girl seemed shocked with this new information.

" **You're Bra Brief?"** The girl questioned, but then turned to Kareshi, **"You have a girlfriend?"**

Kareshi was silent, opened-mouthed and he felt extremely defeated. The girl got out of the bed, grabbed her clothes and now she looked angry as well.

" **I can't believe you,"** She started, **"We've been having sex for a week now and you had a girlfriend the whole time!"**

Bra put her hand up to her mouth when she heard what the girl had said and now she was letting the tears fall again. The girl looked over, as did Kareshi.

" **You were having sex with her for a week?"** Bra questioned. Kareshi finally found his voice and with it, some confidence.

" **Well you wouldn't…I needed to find someone that would,"** The boy said, but that was not something that would help his case. Bra stepped back, eyes still fixed on Kareshi. The girl turned to Bra, even she looked upset now, but it was most probably from embarrassment. She started apologising to Bra as the Blue-Haired girl slowly backed out of the room before rushing back down the stairs and out into the street. There was no holding back those tears anymore as she sprinted up the road, stopping for no one.

Eventually, Bra stopped where there were no people and dropped to her knees. She didn't care that she would get her jeans dirty, or hurt herself. She was far too upset. She couldn't stop crying now and let out a scream of agony as she let her emotions get the better of her. It took her a few minutes to calm herself down, but then quickly boarded her Capsule-Jet and rushed back home.

Once there, she immediately went to her bedroom and shut herself away. She made sure to avoid both her Mother and Father, not wanting to speak with anyone at this moment in time. Bra locked herself in the room, dropped down on her bed and let more and more tears flow.

That had been a terrible experience for Bra and she wasn't sure how much time would be needed to get past it.

* * *

 _So, interesting little story I'm doing, or not? Let me know. This is something I've been planning for a while._

 _Next Time...Chapter 9: New Love_


	9. Arc III: New Love

_The next chapter, and final one for this short Arc! I resolve the conflict from the last one, but does everything go well? And there is also a new development in this story. Something that I've been planning for 2 years now! Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 9: New Love**_

 _Monday 23_ _rd_ _March Age 795_

No one had any contact from Bra over the weekend and that was very worrying for the group. They went into school hoping to see her, but that didn't happen. Everyone had tried to get a hold of the girl, but to no avail. Noca and Pan hoped that the others had some luck, but nothing.

Meanwhile, Bra was just curled up in her bed at home. She still wasn't speaking to anyone. She was just far too angry, upset and depressed. She didn't want to do anything. The only reason Bra had even got out of bed was to have a shower. Not even food was needed right now. Things certainly weren't going well for the Blue-Haired teen.

Both her parents were very worried. Yes, both. Bulma had taken time out from her very busy schedule to try and speak with her daughter, but Bra still ignored her. This was of course upsetting for the Mother, but no matter how much she tried there was no luck. Vegeta didn't bother trying to speak with his daughter, but he could certainly sense a problem. His instinct told him to give her time.

Back at school, Noca and Dom decided they were going to visit Kareshi and see what he knew about this situation. They approached him at lunch and asked if he had seen Bra at all. Kareshi said that he saw her the last week, but other than that she hasn't spoken to him. He even tried to make up a lie that Bra had been the one ignoring him. Noca and Dom just nodded along, but something caught Noca's attention and he just couldn't ignore it. It was unfamiliar and troubling.

He caught the slightest bit of a strange scent around Kareshi. He sniffed a couple more times to get a better fix on what he was experiencing, but it still appeared foreign to his nose. It was effective though, it managed to trigger a reaction with Noca. He clenched his fist, cracking his knuckles. Dom noticed this, but luckily Kareshi didn't. Once Kareshi was gone, Dom turned to Noca.

" **What was wrong back there? I heard your knuckles crack,"** Dom asked, seeing that Noca looked rather shaken.

" **It was…"** Noca stopped as he thought about what it was, but even he didn't know, **"Nothing…it was nothing."**

Dom didn't believe Noca, but he decided not to press the issue any further. Once the duo returned to the rest of their group there were some immediate questions, but neither Noca or Dom had any answers.

" **We just need to go see her then,"** Pan suggested, but Noca shook his head.

" **If she isn't talking to us then she won't want to see anyone,"** Noca explained, hoping that Pan would understand, but she was clearly worried about her best-fried and he could accept that.

" **Well, you're training with Vegeta tonight, you can speak to her after that,"** Pan had another suggestion and Noca was a bit more on-board with this idea. He agreed to do that, but said he wouldn't press the issue if she didn't want to talk.

* * *

After school Noca went straight to Capsule Corp. alone. He had a decent training session with Vegeta and then after that he decided that the Prince would be the only person that would be able to help with the issue he had earlier. The two of them had just finished their session and were in the changing room.

" **Vegeta, I need to ask you about something,"** Noca started. The Prince nodded to show that he would answer any questions. **"I caught a scent on Kareshi today that was…unfamiliar. It was far too different and it even triggered an angry reaction within me…what does it mean?"**

" **You may have caught the scent of another person,"** Vegeta started before coming to a sudden realisation. He made sure not to catch Noca's attention, but he was suddenly feeling rather angry as well. He tried to stifle it as best he could.

" **What do you mean another person, as opposed to who?"** Noca asked. Vegeta looked up at the boy and then back at the ground.

" **You may have been expecting Bra's scent, but…you caught someone else's,"** Vegeta answered. Noca understand what that may mean and turned away as he contemplated it.

" **What does that mean?"** Noca still had more questions, he needed to get to the bottom of this.

" **Maybe you should try talking to her, she won't talk to Bulma,"** Vegeta stood up and put his hand on Noca's shoulder, **"But first and foremost, you are her friend as well as her family. She might confide in you."**

Noca nodded and agreed to do this. He quickly showered and got dressed before heading up to Bra's bedroom. He knew she would probably ignore him as well, but he at least had to try this. When he arrived at her door Noca knocked, but there was no reaction. Noca took a deep breath and knocked a bit harder.

" **Bra, are you in there? Can I come in?"** Noca asked. He could sense her alone in there, but she didn't want it to be that way. He could feel that she desperately wanted to come and open the door, but something was stopping her.

" **Just…just go away,"** Bra called back. Noca sighed.

" **I won't move from this spot..."** Noca informed her, he put his hand on the door knob, **"I'm going to come in."**

He slowly starts to twist the handle, but there are no objections. He opens the door and steps in. The room is dark and messy. Noca walks in and lets the door shut behind him. He sees that Bra is sitting on her bed in her nightwear, but she slowly turns around to face Noca once the door had closed. Noca slowly turned the light up so that Bra's eyes could adjust.

As it got lighter he could see the mess she was in. Her face was extremely pale and her eyes red. There were bags underneath them and black rings. She looked terrible and Noca couldn't understand why. But that was the reason he was there.

" **What's wrong Bra? Tell me,"** He said as he walked in some more. Bra stood up and rushed over to the quarter-Saiyan and threw her arms around his torso, burying her head into his chest. She let out some more uncontrollable crying and Noca slowly reached his arms up and wrapped them around her. He didn't know what to do in this situation, so he just moved over to the bed and sat her down.

" **Bra, tell me what happened, I can help,"** He said in a soft, and friendly tone. Bra managed to refrain from crying more and settled herself. She looked into his eyes and knew he was only there to make sure she was ok. She could accept this help and did. Bra explained everything to him and the more and more into the story she got, the more and more upset she got. This also had an effect on Noca. It was making him very enraged.

At the end of the story, Noca stood up and walked towards the door. Both fists were clenched and his aura began to shine up. Bra could tell he was angry, but she didn't want to him to leave just yet.

" **Where are you going?"** She asked.

" **To pay Kareshi a visit,"** Noca said, in a very deep and dark growl. Bra stood up and protested.

" **No, don't. I want you to stay with me…I don't want to be alone,"** The girl requested. She walked over to Noca and took a hold of his hand. Noca looked at her and lets his anger calm itself.

" **Ok, I'll stay,"** He smiles at Bra and turns to face her properly. **"For family."**

Both smile at each other and hug again. Noca let Pan know that he was finally getting through to Bra and making some progress and would see her at school the next morning. After that text Noca was about to leave and go to the guest bedroom, but Bra stopped him.

" **I don't want to be alone tonight…please stay in here Noca,"** Bra asked. Noca accepted, she was family after all, and she was in a time of need.

* * *

 _Tuesday 24_ _th_ _March Age 795_

The next morning Noca met with Pan and his friends and they all made their way inside the school together. Noca hadn't yet explained what happened with Bra, not wanting to talk about it out in the open and instead do so in private. As they made their way through the halls Noca spotted someone and immediately he was distracted. Kareshi was standing by his locker with his friends and Noca was instantly in instinct mode. He cracked his neck and walked away from the group. They tried to stop him, but to no avail.

" **Hey, asshole!"** Noca called out, getting Kareshi's attention. The boy turned around to see who the voice was addressing, but he wasn't given enough time to see Noca as the Saiyan instantly caught his target with a strong right hook. Kareshi fell to the ground clutching the left side of his face.

" **Ah, what was that for?"** Kareshi called out as people started to back away and form a circle around them to see what was going on. It was lucky Noca had held back, otherwise Kareshi would be dead. He reached down and picked the boy up by his shirt and thrust him against the lockers. Noca then got a look at the boy's face and something took over and he started to punch Kareshi in face. He did it over and over and over. Not stopping even when he felt Kareshi's nose weaken.

There was a crack and Noca had successfully broken Kareshi's nose. The blood started to pour down the poor teen's face. Kareshi was in pain and that could be heard by the groans he made. He tried to push Noca off of him, but the Saiyan was far to strong and wouldn't be deterred so easily. He spun Kareshi around, grabbed his left arm and pushed him against the locker. He kept Kareshi's arm behind his back, pulling on it just the right amount to make it hurt. Noca leant in close.

" **If you ever hurt one of my friends or any of my family ever again…you'll regret it,"** Noca whispered. Kareshi struggled to get away and even started to plead with Noca. That was when the principal finally came over.

" **Mr Brief, stop what you are doing,"** He yelled. Noca didn't move or even pay the Principal any attention. He saw red and he wasn't stopping. Until his friends came over.

They called out for Noca to stop it as well and told him it wasn't worth it, but the Saiyan still didn't listen. He knew it wasn't worth it, but he had a point to make. Kareshi had a lesson to learn. Noca pulled on the teen's arm again and there was a loud crack as Kareshi's arm move out of place. He let out a cry of pain as Noca let go of him. Kareshi fell on the floor against the lockers and was in a lot of pain. Noca looked over him one last time and turned away. He opened up a Capsule, revealing a Senzu bean. He gave it to the Principal.

" **He'll need that, it will make him better,"** Noca informed the Principal before taking one last look back at Kareshi and walking off without another word. Pan rushed up to follow Noca and asked what was wrong. **"Don't worry, I'll tell you back at home."**

Noca walked out into the school grounds and flew away at a great pace. Everyone was left astounded by what they had witnessed. Pan walked back over to the group and told Kareshi that he'll need the Senzu if he ever wanted to properly heal. Everyone else sort of went back to their business as Kareshi's friends helped him up and followed the Principal. Dom watched as it happened and started to think about what Noca could have found out.

" _ **I need to see her,"**_ He thought to himself before following Pan to their classes.

* * *

After school, Dom boarded the Capsule-Jet he still had from Bra and left without telling the others. He didn't want them to know he was going to see Bra. He travelled fast as well.

Pan travelled home fast as well, but she needed to see what was going to happen with Noca. When she arrived she found out that Gohan had also just arrived back from work. Noca, Gohan and Videl all sat at the dining table in silence. Pan sat down beside Noca and waited for someone to speak.

" **I just need to know,"** Gohan started, looking Noca in the eyes, **"Why were you expelled?"**

" **You were expelled?!"** Pan blurted out, not expecting that news. She did think back over what had happened and it started to make sense. Noca took a breath and started to think a little.

" **I was protecting Bra…I was doing that which a Saiyan would do for a family member,"** Noca explained, but it wasn't enough for Gohan.

" **But we don't know what happened,"** Gohan told the teen. Pan also had something to interject with.

" **To be honest, you still need to tell me what happened,"** Pan mentioned. Noca looked to her and nodded. He looked back at Gohan and Videl and cleared his throat.

" **Kareshi was forceful with Bra…twice. Effectively scaring her, but when Bra tried to reconcile…he went off and cheated on her,"** Noca explained. Pan gasped and immediately went for her phone, but Noca stopped her. **"My instinct got the better of me. I had to protect my family."**

Gohan nodded and this was enough for him. Sure, he didn't like that Noca was expelled, but there was no talking out of this situation. They left it at that and Noca proceeded to explain the situation properly to Pan and Videl.

Meanwhile, Dom was making his first attempt at seeing Bra. I say first attempt because he wasn't successful. No one at Capsule Corp. had let him in, saying that Bra wasn't taking visitors. Dom had no choice, but to leave, but that didn't stop him from trying the next day after school. He was rejected once more, so he decided to come back once more and this time he felt good about it.

* * *

 _Thursday 26_ _th_ _March Age 795_

Dom walked up to the entrance gate and pressed the buzzer.

" **I'm Dom Kagaku. I visited the last few days and…"** He couldn't finish his sentence because of being cut off. He cursed, turning around and walking off in a bit of a hump, but there was suddenly a new presence behind him. Dom had the strangest feeling that something was there and quickly turned around to come face-to-face with the Prince of Saiyans himself, Vegeta.

" **What do you want?"** Vegeta questioned, standing up to Dom and glaring at him. Dom was shaking a little, but swallowed and stepped up.

" **I want to speak with Bra,"** He said, confidently. Vegeta turned away.

" **Bra doesn't want to speak to anyone,"** Vegeta said, **"Now turn away and walk off, boy."**

Dom slowly turned, but then stopped and took a breath. **"No."**

" **What?"** Vegeta questioned, not liking that someone denied him. Dom turned around and walked up to the Saiyan. He looked into Vegeta's eyes, but the Prince didn't fold.

" **I'd rather hear it from her, but I know she needs a friend right now and I want to be there for her. You may not understand it, but I care about her a lot, so let me in."** Dom made the request and Vegeta raised an eyebrow. The boy had nothing in terms of power and fighting ability, but he still stood up to the Proud Saiyan Prince and Vegeta now had a level of respect for him.

On the end of the intercom on the gate, Bra had been listening from her room. She heard everything that Dom had said and she decided to open the microphone on her end.

" **Let him in, Dad,"** Bra said down the mic. Vegeta and Dom both looked to the intercom with slight surprise.

" **Bra…are you sure?"** Vegeta questioned.

" **Yes Dad, now stop being overprotective and let him in,"** She requested before disconnecting. Vegeta grunted and then opened the gate.

" **Go in,"** He told the boy. Dom nodded and said thank you before hurrying past the Prince. He made his way through the building and was shown the way to her room by a robot. Even if he had been there before, he didn't know the layout. They made it her room and the robot left. Dom knocked on the door and Bra opened it up. She smiled at him and invited him in.

The two of them sat on her bed, but were in silence for a while at first. Neither knew what to say and things just felt awkward overall. Dom didn't know what to say and Bra didn't seem to bring up the topic either. Dom wasn't even sure he wanted to ask about it. Eventually they looked at each other and Dom found his confidence.

" **You don't have to talk to me about whatever happened, I just want you to know that no matter what, I'm here for you. We can talk about absolutely anything and just understand that I won't leave you side until you're feeling better and I can see your beautiful smile again,"** Dom started to rush towards the edge and there was some slight blush on his face. He couldn't believe he said that, but Bra had half a smirk start to crawl on her face and that made Dom feel a tiny bit of success.

The two of them spoke to each other for a couple of hours and Bra did eventually tell him about what happened and even said that she was feeling better about the scenario. She even knew about what happened to Noca and was angry that it happened to him purely because of her. Dom eventually got the smile he wanted and then had to leave. Before he did, Bra told him that she would be back at school the next week and even walked Dom to the gate and let him keep her Capsule-Jet.

As Bra watched Dom's jet leave she just stood there with a small smile on her face. Just that interaction had made her feel so much better about herself. She really hoped everything would be ok at School on Monday.

* * *

 _Monday 30_ _th_ _March Age 795_

Bra was back to School, like she promised and the first thing she did was apologise to Pan and the others and the two best-friends even shared a bit of a cry. At least Noca had explained everything to Pan and Bra only had to say a few last details. She told them that she was extremely sorry for pushing them all away, but they were all very forgiving.

It was as the day went on that something occurred to upset the mood. Kareshi, feeling better after his experience with Noca, approached Bra and tried to be all friendly with her again. None of the group appreciated that and even when Bra said that she never wanted to speak to him again, Kareshi didn't get the picture. Dom tried to stand up for her, but wasn't very successful.

" **Come on, Bra. I'm apologising to you, I didn't mean for everything to happen the way it did…I just…"** Kareshi was explaining, but Bra was having none of it. She shook her head and walked past him, but he grabbed her arm. Bra turned around and tried to push him off, but wasn't successful. **"Please…forgive me."**

Bra tried to push him off again.

" **Get off me! I don't want to see you ever again!"** Bra yelled at him, but Kareshi still didn't let go. Dom walked up and pushed Kareshi away, getting Bra her freedom.

" **Can't you take the hint, Kareshi? She doesn't love you anymore...not after how you acted,"** Dom explained, but Kareshi started to chuckle and walked over to Dom.

" **You were always trying to steal her from me, weren't you?"** Kareshi questioned as Dom backed off, stuttering his response. Kareshi pushed Dom back. **"Always buying her better gifts than me, having conversations with her. Hell, you even saw here when I wasn't around didn't out."**

" **Maybe I just understand her better than you ever could,"** Dom suggested, stepping forward again, but Kareshi wasn't having this. He delivered a striking right hook to Dom's cheek, knocking the teen to the floor and then he advanced forward.

" **Fight me, you little Bastard,"** Kareshi said, standing over Dom, but the blond boy certainly didn't want that. Bra stepped up and with all of her strength knocked Kareshi off of his feet.

" **Just go away, Kareshi!"** Bra yelled. **"Can't you see what's going on? I hate you!"**

Kareshi stood up and looked at Bra as she helped Dom up. He didn't know what to say. It was his turn to stutter.

" **He's weak, he can't even fight for himself,"** Kareshi said, trying to find a way to stop Bra from being on his side.

" **That doesn't matter to me, he's my…he's my friend,"** Bra said, looking to Dom and blushing a little, but she hid it well. Kareshi turned around and walked off, not wanting to deal with any of this anymore. Everyone else got on with the rest of their day and luckily there were no more problems.

At the end of the day, Dom went back to Capsule Corp. with Bra. They hung out in her room for a bit. Bra was worried about Dom because of the punch he took. She kept checking to see if there was any damage to his face, aside from the formation of a bruise.

" **It's ok, Bra. Stop fussing over me, I'll be ok,"** He explained to her, but Bra was just trying to be helpful.

" **Thanks for standing up for me today, I really appreciated that,"** Bra said, smiling back at the blond. Dom smirked and chuckled lightly.

" **It's ok, I just had a big burst of confidence recently…I'm gonna get myself in trouble really,"** The two of them shared a laugh together and Dom just continued to watch Bra. He found himself staring at her a bit too much, and even Bra noticed that. This caused Dom to look away quickly and avoid eye contact and it got Bra thinking.

" **So, Dom…"** Bra started. The blond looked over to her as Bra tried to strum up the confidence to ask this next question. **"How do you really feel about me?"**

Dom was instantly taken aback by that question and fell silent. He completely froze and a strong sense of fear swept over him. Bra smiled weakly, showing him that he could be at ease here. Dom had to say something. This situation had just presented itself and he had to take advantage of it somehow.

" **I guess…I feel something, but…"** Dom took a couple of breaths and looked her in the eyes, **"I'm not sure if it's…love."**

Bra looked dead ahead, he eyes getting pretty wide and glazing with the appearance of tears. She hadn't expected that. Without thinking about anything or saying another word Bra leaned forward and planted a kiss on his lips. It didn't last long as Dom pulled away and sat back.

" **I…what was that about?"** He asked. Bra smiled and blushed.

" **I always knew there was something, I could sense these feelings, but I must've been too blind to see them,"** Bra explained, not looking away from his eyes. **"You have always been so nice and caring."**

Bra turned away as she thought about what she had with Kareshi.

" **Kareshi was just a stupid crush I had when I was younger and we just managed to stay together for a while…"** Bra explained, **"I don't think I ever loved him."**

Bra turned back to face the blond again.

" **I didn't know better,"** She slowly lifted her hand up to Dom's face and placed it on her cheek and started to lean in again, **"But now I do."**

She lay another kiss on his lips and this time it lasted longer and Dom accepted it. He placed a hand on Bra's leg as she eased him into the kiss and before long it had become a fairly passionate one. Tongues were becoming involved. As the kiss went on, Bra gently started to push Dom back onto the bed and she moved on top of him. She had no intentions for this to go further than a kiss, but it seemed to be going that way and she was the one initiating it, but Dom wasn't stopping it.

He wasn't even sure where to put his arms and ended up just placing them on her arms. The kiss continued to go on and things were getting fairly heated.

In the Gravity Room, Vegeta could sense his Daughter getting pretty active in her room and he instantly understood where things were going and he wasn't about to let that happen. He leaves to GR and rushed off up the stairs. He enters the room without knocking, distracting the teens. Bra got off of Dom and the boy instantly stood up. The two of them stood there staring at Vegeta, although Bra held a glare.

" **What the hell, Dad? Did I ask you to come upstairs?!"** She yelled at her Father. Dom started to head for the door and as he got to Vegeta the Prince looked down at him as he passed and actually gave him a small smirk. Dom furrowed his brow, not understanding this gesture from Vegeta and rushed off. Vegeta looked back to Bra, the smirk still on his face. Bra smiled back. **"Don't worry, he's not gonna hurt me."**

Vegeta was just happy to see his daughter happy again. As soon as he left the room Bra text Dom and told him to ring her later. Bra then scrolled down her contacts and stopped at Pan's name. Dom got outside and boarded the jet, flying off quickly. He then started to dial a number on the jet's phone system. It was Noca.

Back at their house, bot Noca's and Pan's phones rang at the same time. Noca answered the call from Dom and Pan answered the call from Bra.

 **Both Bra and Dom: "You'll never guess what just happened?"**

* * *

Soon enough, Bra and Dom were a couple. Sure, it took some getting used to, but everyone was supportive of the idea and thought that it made sense. Kareshi made sure to stay away from the group, not wanting to incur the wrath of Noca once again. Speaking of Noca, that was another thing that took some getting used to. Noca had been expelled so he was no longer at school. All this meant was that he would spend all his time training with Vegeta and this meant there would be a stronger focus on perfecting the Super Saiyan 2 form.

Not much really happened otherwise. Goten and Valese did announce that they were expecting a baby and, of course, this meant people were excited for the arrival of yet another child. Another Saiyan child. But let's jump back into the story.

 _Saturday 11_ _th_ _April Age 795_

Since Dom and Bra began their relationship they were planning to have a double date with the other important couple. That's right, Bra and Dom wanted to go on a double date with Noca and Pan. This wasn't a hard task for either couple, but it was best to wait until Bra and Dom were completely sure their relationship would last. They decided to go to a fancy restaurant and have a very nice meal together.

The couples managed to have a lot of fun and found themselves talking about things like school, future aspirations, and relationships. The topic of relationships brought them to two girls that were still single.

" **What about Holline and Kiera?"** Dom brought up, **"Those two don't seem to have boyfriends."**

The others all looked at each other and then back at Dom.

" **I guess you're right…I don't think either of them have ever had a boyfriend?"** Bra questioned to herself before looking up at Noca. The Quarter-Saiyan male didn't know what she expected of him. Bra sighed and proceeded to make it clear. **"You grew up with Holline, did she ever show interest in any boys?"**

" **Well, I didn't grow up in her village…so, I wasn't with her all the time, but…no,"** Noca shook his head, **"I've never got signs of interest from her."**

" **Maybe they're just not ready…or haven't found the right person?"** Dom questioned. Pan nodded.

" **We could always talk to them on Monday or something? See what they think,"** Pan suggested. Everyone nodded and agreed. While it may not be their place to interfere or say anything, they thought it best that they did.

 _Monday 13_ _th_ _April Age 795_

The two couples stuck to their word, and decided to all meet as a group. Luckily school was out for the next couple of weeks for their Spring Break. Noca took a pause on his training with Vegeta and decided to meet with the group. They all met up over in West City and spent the day walking around the Park and visiting a few shops. No one knew how to shift the topic to couples and they didn't want to be extremely on the nose with it. It was best to make it feel as natural as possible, but the opportunity never arose. It was beginning to hit evening and the Sun started to set beyond the clouds and the couples decided they wanted to just ask. They made their way back the Compound and sat in Bra's room. Pan was the one that decided to take charge.

" **Why haven't either of you had boyfriends?"** She asked, clearly not making it the slightest bit subtle. Both the Red-Head and Blonde were shocked by the question and looked at each other. They didn't expect this to happen. Bra, Noca and Dom all turned to face the girls and what went from a normal conversation had transitioned into some sort of interrogation.

Kiera blushed from the awkwardness of the situation and looked over at Holline.

" **It's just never happened for me…I'm not sure what I want yet,"** Kiera mumbled. Noca looked at the expression on her face and raised an eyebrow. He could sense her heartbeat increasing in speed. The boy then looked over at Holline who seemed to have a different reaction to the question. She wasn't pleased.

She stood up and glared at her friends.

" **Why should I have a boyfriend? If I don't want one, I don't want one. That shouldn't matter to you,"** The Red-Head exclaimed, defensively. She turned and rushed out of the room, slamming the door. Kiera stood up to try and talk sense into her, but Holline was too fast. Noca stands up and places a hand on Kiera's shoulder.

" **I'll talk to her,"** He tells the Blonde, with a smile on his face. He goes out into the hallway and sees Holline down by the stairs. She is just leaning against the wall and looking out of the window. As Noca got closer he could feel that her heartbeat had also increased and upon seeing her face he noticed she was red from embarrassment, but there was something else. Noca couldn't quite put his finger on it.

" **I've known you such a long time, but…"** Noca started as he stood behind his 'little-sister' and placed a hand on her back, **"You still hide things from me."**

" **Maybe there's just things that I like to keep to myself,"** Holline barked back.

" **But if you can't tell me, your oldest friend, who can you tell?"** Noca asked. Holline didn't respond to that. **"There must be someone in your life that you can confide in…if not me, you need someone."**

" **Perhaps I have someone…"** Holline replied. Noca smirked, sort of knowing who she meant.

" **Why did you react like that right now?"** Noca asked, nicely, not wanting to set her off anymore.

" **It shouldn't matter,"** She answered, shaking him off. Noca still wore that same smirk.

" **You're right, it doesn't matter, but when I care about you…I need to know because it is obviously affecting you in some way,"** Noca explained. **"I think I'm starting to see what it is."**

Holline didn't avert her gaze, but Noca could tell that her composure had altered.

" **I'm just worried what they'll think of me…of us. What my Parent's would think, and…"** Holline turned and looked up into Noca's eyes, **"What you would think."**

Noca now wore a very serious expression and he placed both hands on Holline's shoulders. He looked into her eyes with intensity and care.

" **You know that I would always Love you, no matter what. I'd support every single decision you make,"** Noca started to explain. He could tell it was making her feel better and Holline appreciated Noca's efforts. She started to feel tears coming to her eyes, but she shut them tightly and shook her head. Noca smiled again. **"Besides, this feels right."**

Holline quickly looked up with her glistening eyes and smiled up at Noca. She could tell that he had basically figured it out and all she really needed was his support. She didn't even know it, but all she cared about was how Noca felt about her decisions. She walked past Noca and back up the hall to Bra's bedroom. She quickly entered.

As she did, Kiera stood up and turned to the Red-Head. She was about to say something to her best-friend, but wasn't given the chance when Holline walked right up to the blonde, grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her into a powerful kiss. Everyone else in the room seemed to freeze. This wasn't what they had expected. Noca approached the doorway and smiled at the sight. His 'little sister' was happy and that was all that mattered to him.

Kiera was unsure about this at first, she wasn't ready to tell anyone, but knew she would be once Holline was sure. The blonde put her hands on Holline's hips and embraced the connection. They quickly broke the kiss upon remembering the rest of the people in the room. The smiled at each other, both with tears in their eyes. They turned to the others, holding each other's hand and explained.

" **Let's just say we've been a couple for a while now…"** Holline stated, knowing that some explanation would be needed.

" **Why didn't you tell us sooner? Why didn't we see it?"** Bra questioned, still processing the new information.

" **That doesn't matter, all that matters is that we a so, so happy for you!"** Pan tells them, a smile on her face. Kiera's smile slowly faded and she quickly turned to face her girlfriend.

" **Does this mean we'll have to tell the others now?"** The blonde asked. Holline turned with a smile, and nodded. **"I wonder what Mom will think…"**

" **I'd be surprised if she didn't already know,"** Holline responded with a chuckle. Everyone else shared a laugh and everything was good in their world. Noca watched on and felt truly Happy that everyone else was, but there was something itching at the back of his mind, something big…

All the time that this had been going on, the teens all failed to notice that the sky had darkened, but it soon returned to normal and everyone else was none-the-wiser.

* * *

 _Hope you liked everything that happened in this chapter. I had fun writing the whole Bra, Kareshi storyline. It was definitely something new for me. Leave a review if you have an opinion to voice._

 _Also, the next arc may not come out next week, but I am working hard to see what I can do!_

 _Next Time...Arc IV: Resurrection 'F': Chapter 10_


	10. Arc IV: The Icy Rival Revival

_Here it is, the beginning of the next arc. Sorry for the week off, just needed a bit of time to work on this arc. At this point I have nearly finished writing it. ENJOY!_

* * *

 _ **Arc IV: Resurrection 'F'**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 10: The Icy Rival Revival**_

 _Deep in the Unknown Reaches of the Western Quadrant_

The area was quiet and untouched. Nothing disturbed the empty vacuum of space, aside from one large, round-shaped, battleship. It moved through the empty space at a steady pace. Inside the ship, things were fairly similar. Everyone did their jobs as they were asked, no one argued with the leader, but there was no reason to. As everyone sat at their control panels, patiently getting on with their work, a single soldier rushed through the halls. Wearing his armour with the signature pointed shoulders he ran up to a big door and hurriedly tapped at the control panel on the wall. He was certainly very impatient.

As soon as the door opened wide enough for him to get through he dived through and tripped over, landing in front of a fairly large, throne-like chair. A tall and bulky red-skinned shoulder with horns turned around and glared down at the smaller warrior. The soldier on the floor cowered away and stammered before getting out what he had to say.

" **Co…Commander Sorbet…I have an…urgent message…fr…from planet Eoz,"** The soldier eventually revealed. A grunt was heard from the other side of the large chair. It slowly swivelled around and the small commander was revealed in his seat. Wearing a similar armour, but with a small cape. He stood up out of the chair and walked over to the large window.

" **What is the message?"** Sorbet asked. The messenger stood up and swallowed hard.

" **There's been a prison escape and many of our soldiers have been…dealt with,"** The messenger looked to the ground, trying to show respect for those who have been killed, but the large red fighter decided to speed things up.

" **Hurry up, weakling!"** The warrior yelled, but Sorbet turned around to put a stop to it.

" **Enough, Shisami. Respect the dead,"** Sorbet ordered the large fighter. He nodded to his commander and stood beside another tall, but thinner warrior. They both wore armour that was slightly different from everyone else, signifying they were elites. The thinner fighter was also bald. Sorbet looked towards the messenger and nodded to him. **"Please, continue."**

" **There was a request for more troops…what do I reply, commander?"** The messenger asked, hoping that he hadn't angered the commander. Sorbet closed his eyes and growled in annoyance. He turned away and walked back to the window.

" **Send more soldiers, immediately!"** Sorbet yelled the order, but no one moved. The thinner, elite fighter stood forward.

" **Commander, with all due respect, we just don't have the forces available for this,"** The fighter told him, showing confidence enough to stand up to his leader, **"We may have to accept, that Eoz is lost."**

Sorbet clenched a fist and grunter. He turned around and looked over at his soldier.

" **We will never accomplish this mission if we keep losing soldiers…"** Sorbet yelled. He growled in annoyance again, but sighed, **"Tell them to retreat."**

The messenger nodded and rushed out of the room again. Sorbet turned away and approached a console.

" **Everyday, our mission is becoming harder…"** Sorbet says, quietly, but he is still heard. The tall, bald fighter approaches Sorbet and stands next to him.

" **Do we inform him of the failure on Eoz?"** The soldier asked. Sorbet didn't even turn to look at his soldier.

" **I would prefer we don't, but…we have choice, Tagoma,"** Sorbet looked down at the console and started to tap at the controls. Soon enough a large screen appeared where the large window was, but it was just a static image.

" **What is it, Sorbet. I hope you bring good news,"** The voice spoke, clearly distorted as it sounded very deep. Sorbet froze up, but took a breath and stepped forward. Sorbet prepared to explain the situation, but was unfortunately interrupted, **"You…are FAILING!"**

" **But…I…there was an unexpected circumstance…I…"**

" **You cannot talk your way out of this, Commander. You need to find it!"** The voice yelled back, clearly frustrated by continuous failures.

" **I am doing the best I can with these…limited resources,"** Sorbet responded, getting worked up as well. **"I will have the artefact I just need more time!"**

" **Don't your raise your voice to me! I hold your very life in my hands. Your Cold Empire needs a real leader, you are far too weak,"** The voice continued, but then there was a little silence, **"Don't fail me any longer."**

The screen closed and everything was left in silence. Sorbet walked up to his chair and fell back into it. He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and fore-finger. Tagoma walked up to the Commander.

" **What is the plan now?"** He asked. Sorbet took his hand away and looked over Shisami, completely bypassing Tagoma.

" **Have you found them yet?"** Sorbet asked, the Red soldier smirked and stepped up.

" **Yes, I have,"** Shisami answered. Sorbet sat back in his chair and smirked.

" **Good, then prep the two-seater ship and set its course for Planet Earth,"** Sorbet yelled the order to the navigators and they started to tap away at the keyboard. Only one soldier in the room was questioning of this idea.

" **What? Why Earth?"** Tagoma questioned. Sorbet looked to him and smirked.

" **You're coming with me,"** Sorbet told him before jumping out of his chair and walking over to the large doors.

" **Why Commander?"** Tagoma asked one last time. Sorbet stopped as the doors opened.

" **Because,"** He started, and he slowly turned around to face Tagoma, **"We're going to resurrect Lord Freeza."**

* * *

 _Monday 13_ _th_ _April Age 795_

The small ship pulled into orbit around the Earth and for a second the occupants took a moment to look down and ponder their task. Sorbet looked at the screen inside the ship and watched as a trio of beings wandered through a canyon, holding a small circular object in their hands. One of them was holding another round object. An orange ball.

" **Take us down Tagoma, but let's stay hidden,"** Sorbet told his soldier. Tagoma nodded then moved the controls and sent them down into the atmosphere. They landed fairly far away away from any major civilisation and made sure to not draw any attention.

They quickly moved towards the canyon where their targets were spotted and intercepted them. The targets were a fairly aged trio. A small, blue being, an older woman with black hair, and a very aged dog.

" **So, are we coming up to another Dragon Ball soon, Mai?"** The small, blue being asked in a commanding manner. The woman looked at the round device in her hand and waited for the beep.

" **We should be coming up on another one, Emperor,"** The older woman responded.

" **It's ok Emperor Pilaf, we already have four,"** the Dog yelled out in an excited manner. Emperor Pilaf turned around and glared at the Dog.

" **Shut up, Shu. We've never been very successful in the past, but I will get to make my wish this time!"** Pilaf shouted out. Mai and Shu looked to him and questioned it.

" **What is your wish, sir?"** Mai asked, intrigued. Pilaf froze up and laughed awkwardly.

" **We'll find out when we get the balls, now, onward!"** Pilaf pointed ahead and they continued moving but then two sets of feet landed in front of them and took them completely by surprise. The trio fell back onto the ground.

" **Hello, we've been watching you for a while,"** Sorbet greeted. Pilaf stood up and tried to stand his ground, but Tagoma stepped forward with a smirk on his face, **"We need the Dragon Balls."**

…

The trio were forced to help these alien soldiers and they did their best to gather the Dragon Balls as quickly as they were requested to. Pilaf and the others thought they would finally be allowed to go, but Sorbet and Tagoma informed them that they were unsure how to awaken the Dragon and that was something else they needed help with. Pilaf was clearly worried, but he had to do it. He didn't want to die.

They set the Dragon Balls out and called forth the mighty Shenron. The Dragon rose from the awesome light of the balls and the sky fell dark. Pilaf, Mai and Shu were very excited to see the Dragon again, but they knew the wish would not be there's, this time.

" **I am Shenron. Please state your wishes. I will grant only two,"** The Dragon informed those that stood before him. Sorbet stood staring up the amazing Dragon, but had fallen silent. He was still unsure what to do. Pilaf turned and smirked.

" **Just tell the Dragon what your wish is, he'll grant it,"** The small Emperor informed them. Sorbet swallowed and stepped forward. He was still very worried.

" **Sir, we should hurry. They'll know we're here by now,"** Tagoma informed his Commander. Sorbet nodded and rushed forward.

" **Dragon. I wish for Freeza, BRING HIM BACK TO LIFE!"** The Commander yelled up to the almighty Dragon. He paused for a second and everyone felt awkward around him.

" **The one you call Freeza is still in pieces…are you sure you want me to make this Wish?"** The Dragon asked. Sorbet stepped back and thought about it.

" **Don't worry, Sir. The technology we have should be able to bring him back to life just fine,"** Tagoma informed Sorbet. The Commander nodded and looked up at the Dragon once more.

" **Yes, Dragon. We still want Freeza back!"** Sorbet was feeling rather excited now. The Dragon's eyes flashed and then pieces of Freeza started to fall to the ground. **"Ah, Tagoma, quickly gather the pieces and put them in a healing tank, now!"**

Tagoma rushed off to do his thing and Sorbet sighed. The wish was made, but there was still some healing to go.

" **Now, what is your second wish?"** The Dragon asked. Sorbet turned to face him and pondered what they would need. He could just wish for the artefact or at least find out the location, but that probably wouldn't work.

" **We want to be young again!"** A voice yelled from behind Sorbet. He turned around and glared towards the small, blue Emperor and Pilaf sent an awkward laugh back. Suddenly the trio began to light up and they began to go through the transformation. The light flashed away and the trio fell down. Pilaf jumped up with a cry, **"I'm in the prime of my life!"**

" **I'm beautiful again!"** Mai yelled while crying. Shu just looked at him self and smiled.

" **I guess I'm still the same…but I've lived long enough for a dog anyway,"** Shu laughed.

Sorbet wasn't very happy with what happened and clenched his fists. He looked up as the Dragon said his farewell and the Balls scattered once again. Sorbet turned around and pointed at the trio.

" **You will pay for that,"** Sorbet started to step towards them, but Tagoma came and got him to stop.

" **No, leave them, we should get back to the ship!"** Tagoma explained. Sorbet stopped and started to walk away, but not before firing a blast at the trio's feet and sending them into the ocean.

" **Ok, let's go,"** Sorbet said as they boarded their ship and blasted off. The trio in the water came to the surface and took in some air.

" **So, what now Emperor?"** Mai questioned. Pilaf turned around and smirked.

" **Now we will acquire WORLD DOMINATION!"** Pilaf yelled. That was when Mai suddenly felt shocked by something and screamed. **"What is it?"**

" **I dropped the radar…"** She said, sadly. The trio cried out in sadness as the floated there alone.

* * *

 _Back in Deep Space_

Inside the main room of the large Cold Empire ship, a new healing tank had been set-up. Full of the healing green liquid with the destroyed occupant floating inside. Everyone watched on anxiously as they awaited end result of this healing. Sorbet stood there with his hands clasped together as his two Elite Henchmen stayed by his side. Even they looked a little fearful.

The chunks of body that were inside the tank started to reform and a full body began to take shape. With a long, pointed tail, a tough armour, and a large head with horns pointing in opposing directions. Freeza was taking form. As his body finally returned to its fully formed state, Freeza opened his eyes and upon that singular action the glass began to crack. Sorbet and the others stepped away from the pod, not sure what they should expect.

A large light shone from inside the tank as the cracks became bigger and the green liquid started to leak from within. The light dissipated and all movement had halted. Everyone in the room though that something had gone wrong. A single Doctor approached the tank, but upon coming within touching distance the cracks gave way and the glass exploded across the room. The liquid leaked out onto the floor and one foot set down in the puddle. Everyone marvelled at the sight as another foot touched down and there he was. Standing in all his renewed glory was the evil Emperor himself. Lord Freeza had returned.

The small Emperor took a few steps forward and shook the water from his face before whipping his tail down on the ground. He had to assert his presence, but at the moment Freeza wasn't even sure where he was. It was certainly a different location from before. This was more familiar than that Hell he had occupied for such a long time. The little tyrant stepped up to the large window and glanced out at the empty space. It all felt too familiar. He looked at himself in the reflection and then down at his hands.

" **Am I…Am I really alive once more?"** Freeza questioned himself in the cold tone. He turned around and looked at one of his soldiers. He lifted a hand pointed a finger. He smirked at the little soldier and uttered a simple, yet terrifying **"Bang."**

A small ball of light shot towards the soldier and upon contact with his chest…BOOM!

The solider had been annihilated. Everyone looked on in shock, but Freeza laughed out loud.

" **It's true, I'm alive again. Hahaha! I have returned to rule my Empire!"** Freeza was thrilled with this turn of events, but it was a terrifying happiness. Sorbet started to laugh with his renewed Master and walked up to him.

" **My Lord, it is I, Commander Sorbet,"** The small alien said, offering up a slight bow, **"I took charge of the Empire in your absence, but now that you have returned I…"**

" **Why?"** Freeza interrupted. Sorbet looked up with an empty expression as Freeza turned around to face him. **"Why did it take you so long?"**

There was a fearsome tone to Freeza's voice as he questioned the now former leader. Freeza held a glare that could have pierced the soul of anyone. Sorbet stepped back, not wanting to go the same way as his soldier. He'd better answer.

" **The Army is severely depleted…the failure of our task and…our new Master** ," Sorbet responded, but that only garnered a confused expression from the Emperor.

" **New Master?"** Freeza questioned, not understanding what he meant. **"Who else would lead my forces other than me?"**

That's when the warped voice sounded through the speaker system and pulled Freeza's undivided attention.

" **I am the one in charge,"** The deep voice spoke. Freeza turned around and stared at the static on-screen.

" **And who might you be, believing you can rule my Armies?"** Freeza asked, not standing for these new developments.

" **Come to my Sanctuary and you will know,"** The voice replied. Freeza raised his brow and started to chuckle.

" **And what will you offer me in return?"** Freeza wasn't one to take orders too lightly.

" **You will know power like no other…and you will help towards my ultimate goal,"** The voice responded, before shutting off. Freeza was frustrated by the rudeness. He turned around and approached the throne in the centre. He sat down and growled in anger.

" **Commander Sorbet, take us there…NOW!"** Freeza yelled his order and focussed on the emptiness of space as the ship started to move. It wouldn't take them long to get to their location.

* * *

 _Deep in the Uncharted Regions of the Universe_

The circular ship landed in a small, but half destroyed hangar. They landed in the Sanctuary that had been built into the largest of numerous Asteroids. Freeza stepped out of his ship and looked around. A large door opened at the end of the hangar and Freeza knew to approach it. He told any soldiers to stay behind and he would address whoever this "Master" was, on his own.

Freeza made his way through the halls, silently, but all the way he felt like he was being watched. He eventually approached an exceptionally large door and pushed it open. Inside, was an extremely large throne room with steps leading up to a massive throne. Freeza smirked as he stepped in. He could tell someone was sitting up in the throne. The evil Emperor continued in.

" **I admire the doom fortress in the middle of nowhere, in fact, I think we're very near the Domain of B…"** Freeza would have continued but he was rudely interrupted by a small troll like creature that stepped out by his side.

" **You must never name it!"** The troll yelled at the tyrant. Freeza glanced down at the creature and smiled. **"Or what?"**

Freeza glanced down at the small, but rounded little troll. His tusk-like teeth pointed up and his hair spiked.

" **Me and Wuggles will have to show you a thing or two,"** Another voice said as yet another troll stepped forward. This one was a little taller, but thinner than the other. He had longer hair. Freeza smirked and powered up slightly blasting both of the little slaves away to the other sides of the room. They fell with a thud and their cries could be heard. Freeza continued towards the throne.

" **Why was I summoned? Who are you?"** Freeza was clearly getting frustrated now. The being sitting at the throne didn't move.

" **I am Kuyato,"** The voice said. This time it didn't sound so warped and deep as before. He still had a deep voice, but it was scratchy and his tone seemed almost posh. Freeza's eyes went wide upon hearing the name. **"So, you have heard of me?"**

Freeza grunted.

" **There were only three beings in the Universe I was told never to cross, Beerus, Majin Buu and…"** Freeza was interrupted.

" **Majin Buu has been long dealt with,"** Kuyato revealed. Freeza's eyes went wide again.

" **By whom?"** He questioned, not believing what he had been told.

" **By a Saiyan. One that you know as…Son…Goku…"** Kuyato answered. Freeza clenched his fists and started to get angry upon hearing the name. Kuyato chuckled lightly, but moved on.

" **It's good to see you alive, you can continue the mission I set for your…incompetent soldiers,"** the Cloaked Master explained, but Freeza was still silent. He glared towards the cloaked figure and just wanted to stand up for himself. He stepped forward again, but took a breath.

" **And what was that mission?"** He asked, trying to be amicable, for once in his life. Well, new life.

" **I need an Artefact. Find it."**

Freeza looked up and grit his teeth.

" **That's it? Find a simple Artefact? What's so important about that,"** Freeza questioned, clearly annoyed by such a menial task.

" **You say that, but many have failed me in the past, and when someone fails me…they die,"** Kuyato explained. That didn't put Freeza's anger to rest, but it did make him worry ever so slightly.

Freeza looked up with a forced smile.

" **Fine, I'll do it. I just have some other business to attend to first,"** Freeza was ready to walk out then a there, but Kuyato rose from his seat and walked down his steps slowly. He raised a hand towards Freeza and some sort of invisible force seemed to grasp the Tyrant and propel him across to the opposite end of the room. Freeza smashed against the wall and dropped in pain. He is extremely angered by the interaction and tries to stand, but feels the force push down on him again.

" **You have a year,"** Kuyato said in an extremely intense tone, **"Do not fail me."**

Freeza looked up to see that Kuyato was now standing over him. He couldn't see the beings face, but he could see the being's frail hand. There was so much power coming from that hand though. Freeza was in pain just by looking up.

" **Now…leave,"** Kuyato said with the same intensity. He turned away, swishing his cloak and releasing Freeza from that forceful grip. He walked up to his throne once more and the small Tyrant stood up and rushed out of the room. He quickly returned to his ship and went to his own quarters. He sat down in his seat and was breathing heavily. The door opens and Sorbet steps in.

" **My Lord, Where next?"** Sorbet knew something bad had happened, but he didn't let it show. Freeza turned and glared at him.

" **Set course for any unoccupied planet, NOW!"** Freeza yelled, getting Sorbet to rush off. Freeza locked the door down as he slumped in his seat, but upon doing so he felt a severe sting in his left shoulder. He moved his right hand to check and upon looking at it there was the sight of blood. Freeza clenched his fist and grit his teeth.

" _ **So, Son Goku defeated Majin Buu. Goku. That Super Saiyan, Monkey. I'm coming for you. And I'm going to kill you!"**_ Freeza thought to himself as he sat alone in his quarters.

* * *

 _Unoccupied Planet_

The Cold Empire ship set down lightly and the landing ramp lowered. As soon as it touch the ground of this empty Planet, Freeza appeared in the doorway. The planet was very mountainous, and had a large amount of water. Freeza needed a planet that had many different conditions. Including a stronger gravity.

Freeza stepped onto the land and let the strength of the Gravity drop on him. It was nothing he couldn't handle, but it was still a fantastic situation. Freeza turned around to face Sorbet as he stepped down off the ramp and instantly felt the strength of the gravity. He hardly kept to his feet, but he managed to save face in front of his leader.

" **Why did you choose to come here, Lord Freeza?"** Sorbet asked, genuinely intrigued by what Freeza's intentions were. The Evil Emperor only smirked at his Commander and looked into the distance.

" **I would like for you to leave Shisami and Tagoma with me,"** Freeza said, completely ignoring Sorbet's question. The little commander was definitely confused by this request. **"I hope that isn't too much to ask, but even if it is I know you will comply."**

Freeza shot the Commander and evil smirk and Sorbet spun on his feet and faced the two soldiers.

" **Tagoma. Shisami. You are both to stay here with Lord Freeza,"** Sorbet explained, but he still didn't have a reasoning and that wasn't satisfying enough for the small soldier. **"Please sir, I wish to know what all of this is about. Why we are here, and why I must leave my two best soldiers with you?"**

Freeza started to walk away, but stopped and glanced over his shoulder.

" **You and the rest of the army will rally up and continue the mission. For six months,"** Freeza stopped before starting to walk away again. Both Tagoma and Shisami looked to Sorbet, still confused.

" **But why sir?"**

Freeza stopped and turned around completely. He wasn't impressed by the continuous questions.

" **Just listen to what I say. You will gather the army and return to me in 6 months,"** Freeza ordered. Sorbet stiffened up and bowed in acceptance of his mission.

" **And if we are to complete the mission within that time?"** Sorbet had one last question.

" **Then you will still follow my orders as requested. Kuyato gave us a year. We can use that to our advantage. Now leave us,"** Freeza made that last order. Sorbet bowed and returned to the ship as it began to take off and soar into the distance. Both Shisami and Tagoma looked to each other and nodded before turning to Freeza.

" **If we may, Lord Freeza, we both wish to know why you have brought us here?"** Tagoma said, politely. Freeza turned around and smirked.

" **I have never trained a day in my life. I have always been naturally powerful, I just never had a need to. But I know that if I start to train now, I will achieve a power greater than that of Son Goku,"** Freeza explained. Both the Elite soldiers nodded in agreement. **"I intend to have my revenge and you two will be my training partners."**

The two Elites nodded and bowed to Freeza as the Emperor continued to walk further into the planet. The soldiers exchanged a couple more glances before following after their leader. This would surely be a vastly difficult experience for both of them, but they weren't about to back down.

As Freeza continued ahead his smirk started to fade as he thought about Son Goku some more.

" _ **That Monkey will perish by my hand. They all will."**_

* * *

 _How'd you like this chapter? Let me know in a review. I have made some changes to the ResF story so that it better suits my over-arching story._

 _Next Time...Chapter 11: Freeza's Return to Earth_


	11. Arc IV: Freeza's Return to Earth

_Happy Valentine's Day to all the lovers out there! I'm spending the day at Uni and the Gym so...yeah. Plenty of love. NOT! Anyway! Enjoy this chapter._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 11: Freeza's Return to Earth**_

 _Earth – 6 Months Later_

 _Thursday 29th October Age 795_

It was just like any normal Autumn afternoon. Noca and his friends were all relaxing at the Capsule Corp. compound and just hanging around, talking. The whole gang was there. Noca, Pan, Bra, Holline, Dom and Kiera. It had become easier for the gang to meet in West City after Pan, Bra and Dom had all finished their education at Orange Star High and had decided to attend Capsule Corp. College before making their final decisions for University. At least they still had until they were 18-years-old to make that decision. Meanwhile, Holline and Kiera were still at Orange Star, but they were in their last year.

While the teenagers were hanging out, Gohan was over at the Capsule Corp. Tower, busy working on this and that. Vegeta was down in his Gravity Room and doing nothing in particular except his regular workout. Also at the Compound were Bulma, Trunks, Marron, Krillin and Android 18 as they were busy planning the wedding of the lavender haired man and the blonde woman. Goten wasn't with his best friend right now. Instead, Gohan was off with his own wife and she was very pregnant now.

The Namekian warrior, Piccolo, was up on the Lookout with Dende and Mr. Popo. He was just doing some of his own training while keeping an eye on the goings on around the world. As best as he could, anyway. Training off in the East were Buu and Uub. The two had spent a lot more time together, but Buu would still visit Mr. Satan whenever he felt it necessary.

Everyone was pretty much just getting on with their lives as normal. It truly is a shame that it doesn't often last long in this world.

In the space around Earth a circular ship started to come into view. The red soldier, Shisami stood up to the big window and looked down at the sight with a cruel smirk.

" **My Lord, we have arrived at the Earth,"** Shisami informed the being sitting inside his little travel chair. Freeza approached the window, in his hover-chair and he took a good look down at that dirt ball of a planet. He grit his teeth as the memories came back. The blade that pierced his body…and those eyes that were just as sharp.

No one said anything to disturb Freeza. He simply turned and exited the room. It was left in silence for a couple of seconds before Shisami called out in a bellowing voice and got everyone's attention.

" **Set the ship down somewhere out of sight and every soldier must line up at the exit ramp as soon as we touch down!"**

There was a manic rush around the ship as everyone knew that fear of their almighty leader had truly returned and they must do everything that was requested of them without a single question. Sorbet rushed off to follow Freeza to make sure everything was to his liking. Meanwhile Shisami lifted a hand to the scar on his face and turned to face Tagoma.

" **Everything we went through has been for this, I hope you're ready,"** Shisami teased the lean fighter. Tagoma certainly went through a bigger change with Freeza's training. The expression on his face was sharp and he definitely wasn't one to be messed around with. He had a massive scar across his throat and left eye. His armour was definitely more worn and even blood stained. He shot a glance towards Shisami and let an evil smirk cross his face. He only nodded at the red soldier.

The ship set down on the Eastern side of the planet, but it managed to draw enough commotion from the Citizens of Engan City as it set down on an island that was in full view of the Coastal City. As the ship touched the ground, the top hatch opened and out came a flood of Cold Empire soldiers. They all faced the city, but stayed in the air around the island. They had orders to obey.

Freeza was the last to rise out of the ship and he did so in a slow and steady manner. He kept his gaze fixed firmly ahead and there was a troublesome smirk across his face.

Back in West City, Noca was joking with Dom when he suddenly felt a huge spike in power. His attention was grasped and he stood up, looking towards the window. Both Pan and Holline could feel what he had sensed and they were a little worried. They tried to question what it was, but Noca was too focused on trying to figure that out for himself.

Down in the Gravity Room, a certain Prince of Saiyans sensed a power that was a little too familiar. Vegeta's fist clenched, almost instinctively, but inside his mind there was a little fear.

" **No…it can't be,"** The Prince uttered to himself.

Over in the tower, Gohan had his head down at the computer, wearing his glasses and suit, but then something recognisable spiked in his mind, and it was worrying. The Demi-Saiyan looked over to the window and focused his senses as best her could. His eyes opened wide, but then narrowed. Gohan knew there was a fight coming.

Noca rushed out of Bra's bedroom and basically flew down the stairs to the GR. He didn't need to go all that way as Vegeta was already rushing to the door, wearing his armour. Trunks rushed up towards his Father, wearing his Gi. They were both ready. Noca nodded to the two of them as he rushed to change into his Blue Gi. The trio of Saiyans were ready to blast off, but Pan ran over.

" **I'm coming as well,"** Pan called out. She was already in her Gi as well and was tying her hair up. Noca was about to protest, but then his red-haired friend rushed over, also wearing her Gi. Noca shook his head.

" **No, neither of you are coming. Just…stay here,"** Noca instructed as he quickly kissed them both on the head and rushed off with Vegeta and Trunks. They all blasted off at a pace like no other, but Vegeta was the one with the most intensity.

Gohan had managed to change into his Gi and also fly off. He even managed to catch up the other three. Pan and Holline were left standing in the Compound gardens, but neither girl would give up. They looked to each other and nodded before following after the four Saiyans.

Training in the East was put on hold as Uub told Buu to return to Mr. Satan. He was planning to help fight this battle. Goten had to leave his Wife and Mother so he could also get on and fight. Piccolo, up on the Lookout, knew he would be a great help and blasted down at a great pace. Even Krillin had Bulma find him an old Gi and Android 18 quickly shaved his head.

" **If that Power Level belongs to who it does, then I want to fight too,"** Krillin said as he turned away, but a hand landed on his shoulder. It belonged to Bulma.

" **Who is it?"** Bulma asked. Krillin swallowed and went into serious mode.

" **It's Freeza. It just has to be. I know that power anywhere."**

Bulma was wide-eyed in surprise, but then she had a smirk on her face.

" **Then I'm coming too, I never saw him either of the last two times!"**

There was no Arguing with Bulma and soon enough both she and Krillin were rushing off to help out, in whatever way they could.

Freeza grew tired of waiting and he had been staring at that City for some time now. He clicked his fingers as an idea come to his head. He told his soldiers to move out of the way and lifted his hover-chair up higher. He had a clear view of the city now and a mischievous smile on his face. He lifted his hand and pointed a finger towards the city. The tip of his finger lit up red and then a small ball of light shot towards the city at a tremendous pace. Every soldier watched as the tiny bit of light made its journey. As soon as it came into contact with the city there was a massive explosion and the whole location had been utterly obliterated.

Freeza laughed at the display he had given himself. Unfortunately, all the fighters on their way to fight Freeza had seen the explosion from very far away and they were utterly shocked by it, but they all had to admit they expected it from such an evil tyrant. They all touched down on the same island that Freeza occupied and stood as a group. Freeza and his soldiers all turned to face the small group.

" **Well, isn't this nice. A greeting party. And I recognise enough of you** ," Freeza stated as he quickly scouted the group. His smile faded as he realised two things, **"Where is Goku? And…how are you still alive, Vegeta?"**

Vegeta smirked at both questions and he was more than happy to answer.

" **Kakarot is in Other World, and let's just say I'm a survivor,"** Vegeta responded. Freeza started to chuckle.

" **I guess you could say that I'm a survivor too,"** Freeza said with a loud laugh. Vegeta's smirk faded. Gohan stepped forward.

" **How did you come back?"** Gohan yelled. Freeza cocked his head and stared at the man.

" **You look like him…you have the same outfit, but…there's something different,"** Freeza stated. Gohan smirked.

" **You mean to say you don't remember me, Freeza? I'm the kid you fought on Namek all that time ago. I'm Gohan,"** The man answered. Freeza was about to question some more, especially when he saw Goten and…Trunks, but then there were more arrivals. It was Pan and Holline. Noca looked over at the them and let's say he was pretty furious.

" **I told you two not to come!"** Noca yelled as he rushed over to the two girls. They defended their choice, but Freeza still had more questions, but not enough time to ask them as Krillin and Bulma touched down. This made Freeza laugh.

" **Oh my, it's the bald one. I distinctively remember killing you,"** Freeza continued to laugh as Krillin glared up at the tyrant. Everyone had arrived, but Freeza had missed something Vegeta told him earlier. **"Wait, did you say Goku is in Other World…as in…dead?"**

" **Yes,"** Vegeta answered, **"So your fight is with us…"**

" **And only us!"** Gohan finished.

" **Yeah, leave the people of this planet out of it!"** Trunks shouted. Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo and Krillin all turned to face Trunks as they realised he was here.

" **Well, I could kill the other Saiyan that murdered me,"** Freeza said, his angered tone still around. Trunks was surprised. Piccolo stepped forward this time.

" **I wouldn't count on that, Freeza. This isn't the same Trunks that killed you. That one was from the future,"** Piccolo explained. Freeza grunted in anger.

" **And he's my Son,"** Vegeta informed the Emperor, semi-proudly. Freeza chuckled some more.

" **Oh it doesn't matter anyway. You're all going to die with your planet!"** Freeza yelled in sheer anger as he pointed down at the group before yelling the order, **"ATTACK THEM!"**

As soon as the huge army of Soldiers started to descend upon them the fighters all seemed to instinctively take positions that they believed would be beneficial. Pan, Holline, and Krillin dropped back to stay and defend Bulma from any trouble as Goten and Trunk shot to take the right side, with Gohan and Piccolo going to take the Left. Vegeta, Noca and Uub all went head first into the mix and hoped to help spread out the fighters some more.

They had no time to plan their defensive, but this was the best they could come up with in such short time…and with no communication.

The soldiers came charging in at an extreme rate, but everyone was ready to get into a fight. Pan jumped up in defence of Bulma and took on the first soldier that got to her. The alien threw a fist for the girl, but Pan quickly caught it in her right hand and twisted to kick up with her left foot. She planted her kick in the chest of the soldier and knocked him away. She stalled for a second upon realising just how easily some of these soldiers could be dealt with. She looked around to see everyone else dealing with their opponents just as well.

Another one charged towards the girl with an attack. Pan threw up her right arm to block and then punched that soldier in the face with her left. The soldier dropped back and then Pan followed up with an uppercut with her right. The soldier was knocked back again and another was dropping in behind him. This gave Pan an idea, that she hoped would work. She jumped up and kicked both feet out, pushing off of the solider and simultaneously sending him flying into the next soldier. They both dropped to the ground.

Pan's eyes were drawn to another soldier and she flew towards him. She sent her knee crashing into the face of that soldier and then kicked out her right foot as the soldier started to fall away. The kick struck perfectly and dealt with the soldier, but in that time another one had come from behind and locked his arms around Pan, tightly. Pan struggled for a second, but then she noticed another Soldier getting closer to Bulma. She was about to let that happen. She sent her head crashing back into the face of her captor and that was enough to break the grab. She then turned and took a hold of the soldier's arm and swung him towards the other alien currently heading for Bulma. The soldiers collided and were dealt with. Pan nodded to Bulma and charged off to continue with the fight.

Holline was in a similar position. She was currently defending herself against a soldier. He was firing at her with his wrist cannon and she was having to deflect a lot of blasts away. The soldier was hovering above her and firing down. Holline continued to swat the blasts away, but she coudlnt just sit there and take it. She flew up to the alien and swung a kick into the soldier's ribs. Just as that happened another one dropped in with a punch. Holline dodged to the left and let the punch sail past, but she quickly grabbed the soldier's arm and swung him around into the soldier in front of her. They tumbled down to the ground as another two stepped up to the plate.

The two new soldiers decided to come in at either side of the Red-Head and try to confuse her, but it wasn't going to happen that way. Holline blocked the one on the left and prepared to attack, but was taken by surprise when a knee crashed into her back. The other Soldier had been quicker than she expected. She swung around and kicked the soldier in the face and then turned back to punch the left sided soldier in the throat. The fighter gripped his neck in pain, but Holline dealt with him quickly by hammering her fists down on his head.

They fell without another move, but three more soldiers flew up and stared down at the girl. Holline wasn't ready to keep going and she wasn't sure she could last much longer in this conflict. She looked up at them and a took a worried breath. Suddenly, the soldiers on the left and right were taken out by a Ki Blast each and the middle one started to look around in surprise. This was her chance. Holline charged up and sent a plunging kick into the alien's gut, knocking him out of the fight. Holline dropped back and looked up to see Krillin fly by. He had assisted her, but he didn't have time to stop and hear a thank you.

The Turtle-Student was being chased by a number of soldiers. Krillin was just hoping to tire them out before dealing with them his own way, but it didn't appear that things would go that way. He quickly twisted around and put his hands up to his face and shouted "Solar Flare!"

A blinding light flashed in the eyes of the soldiers and they had to stop. They were all rubbing their eyes while Krillin prepared the follow-up. He pulled his arms to his side and smirked.

" **Kame-Hame-HA!"** Krillin threw his arms forward and the blue energy wave dealt with those soldiers. Krillin looked down at his hands and grinned. **"At least I haven't lost it yet."**

He soon realised that he didn't have much more time to just sit around and cheer for himself. A fair few more soldiers moved in to challenge Krillin and the Bald Monk had to save the celebrations for later. He smirked again and charged in to take them on.

He crashed a kick into the head of one unlucky soldier and then punched the next one in the gut and followed up by kicking the same one in the chin. After the kick he flipped away, but was taken by surprise when a blast crashed into the back of his own head. Krillin dropped forward but quickly managed to steady himself. He shook it off and twisted around, firing a rapid Destructo Disk. The sharp disk shaped Ki blast zapped towards the soldier, but on succeeded in cutting off part of the soldier's shoulder guard. That Alien was certainly shocked by what happened and he lost focus. Krillin took his chance and charged in, head-butting the soldier in the head. He dealt with those few, but that didn't mean there weren't more and now, Krillin was serious.

About twenty of Freeza's soldiers had decided to form a circle, but around whom? Piccolo, of course. The Namekian fighter was obviously one of the strongest fighters there and Freeza wanted to make sure he was dealt with efficiently. The group waited for the Namekian to make the first move, but Piccolo wasn't about to do so. He waited until their impatience got the better of them. Fortunately, that seemed to work. One soldier yelled charge and the rest followed. Piccolo smirked and closed his eyes.

He blocked a soldier to the left and then swung out his right arm, backhanding a soldier away. He then felt a hand grip onto his left arm. Piccolo swiftly used his head to bat that soldier away and then stretched his left arm to catch that same soldier. He swung the arm over his head and slammed him down on the opposite side, but on top of another soldier. He released his hand as the arm retracted and more soldiers came in. Piccolo shot a blast out with his right hand, taking out the soldier in front of him. This certainly stalled the rest of them for a second, but not for long.

As the rest started to move in Piccolo reached his hand up to his head and removed the Turban he always wore. He tossed it to the right, at pace and managed to knock out one of the soldiers. Some of them slowed down, but still continued in to attack. That was when Piccolo started to remove his cloak and he dropped it on the soldier that approached him from the left. That's when they all stopped. The Namekian cracked his neck and looked around and their wary faces. He smirked again.

" **Come at me,"** He uttered as he motioned for them to move in. They all nodded to one another and charged. Piccolo waited for them to all get around him and then he threw out his arms and yelled as a huge wave of energy exploded from within him and blasted all of those fighters away. Piccolo looked around at all the beaten soldiers, but he wasn't done yet. Another group charged in from behind Piccolo. He could sense them and instead of giving them any time he swung around and swipe his left hand across, throwing a trail of Ki blasts along the ground and in front of the soldiers.

None of the blasts had hit a soldier, but the ground began to fall in, as did the soldiers. Piccolo was definitely pleased with himself. He stepped forward, but as he did a single body fell beside him. Piccolo looked up and saw his formed student blast through the sky with a huge group of soldiers behind him. It was Gohan.

All the soldiers chasing the Demi-Saiyan were firing their attacks in his direction, but Gohan was finding them simple enough to dodge. He continued to lead them through the sky and in the process he was even picking up a few more soldiers, but that didn't bother him. He started to lead into the cliffs and managed to find a valley to fly through. All the soldiers followed in, but as Gohan started to get in he knew he would have them in the perfect tight space. He stalled and turned back, causing all of them to stall and slightly panic. The all started to throw attacks at Gohan, but the Saiyan was having fun as he continued to dodge them all.

He knew he'd had to start attack soon. He punched one of the soldiers into another and then phased behind both of them. As he reappeared he smashed a kick in and sent them both crashing down into the valley. Gohan knew there was a fighter placed right behind him and he swung his fist back, smashing that soldier in the face. He then phased again. Appeared in front of another one and punched him in the face too. He then kicked to the left, hitting another in the ribs. The rest of the group were all positioned behind him and Gohan used that to his advantage. He turned around and threw up both his hands and fired a powerful Ki blast at them all, sending them to the ground or flying out of the valley.

Goten and Trunks were still in the fight. Neither of them had turned Super Saiyan, knowing that it wasn't needed. They were standing back-to-back with loads of fighters either side of them. They would punch the ones that came towards them, or kick them, and they would send Ki blasts out to the further away ones, but they were just making the fight a game.

" **That's 17 with kicks!"** Goten told his fight partner. Trunks smirked and fired a blast at another soldier.

" **Oh yeah, well now that's 23 with blasts, looks like I'm more accurate than you,"** Trunks teased.

" **I prefer to use my hands!"** Goten spat back, but they both laughed together. They soon started to formulate a plan in their heads. **"Hey Trunks, if fly right up through them, one on each side…"**

" **Then we can get them all stuck down here and blasts them all away quickly,"** Trunks finished. Goten nodded back to his friend and they both agreed. They turned to face their enemies and blasted away from one other. They made sure to get up into the air and have every one of those fighters below them. They looked down and then at each other. Nodded one more time and started to send loads of Ki blasts down on the rest of the soldiers, effectively dealing with them. They each gave each other a thumbs up, but a blast grazed Goten's arm and they realised they weren't out of it just yet.

A little bit further along the coastline of the island, Uub was taking on a group of soldiers by himself. They were flooding towards him without a fear in the world, but they were woefully unprepared for what Uub had to offer. As soon as the first soldier came in close enough Uub charged forward and smash two strong punches into that one soldier's face. The Alien started to back away, gripping his face in pain, but Uub performed a spinning kick that propelled the soldier through the air, towards the ground. Another soldier approached from the left and Uub quickly held his left hand up and sent a small blast into that one's face. The blast created a smoke cloud, and Uub flew right through and landed another strong punch.

As another soldier decided to make a useless effort Uub twisted around, landing a strong kick to that one's chest. As that soldier fell away, Uub flew over to another one, not taking time to dawdle. Uub reached the next soldier and sent his knee crashing into this Alien's back and that soldier was off into the sky. Uub quickly phased above the fast moving soldier, but swiftly hammered him back towards the ground. Just as Uub knocked that soldier away, a whole group of them gathered around him and attempted a big bundle. This Majin-Human had a lot of Ki reserves within him though, and he made great use of that to send all of the soldiers away with one explosive wave.

Uub got on with the rest of his soldiers with relative ease, but more and more seemed to arrive. Over on the opposite side of this part of the island, Noca was dealing with his own group. The teen appeared to be spending more time toying with his opponents and showcasing his speed, rather than technique. He just phased in-between all of them and let them through useless punches and kicks. He wasn't just toying with them, however. He did intend to show-off some more of his abilities. Noca phased in front of one soldier and landing a powerful kick to the head of the weak fighter. That soldier was sent soaring in the distance as the teen swung around and sent his left fist crashing into an Alien's gut. That soldier bent over in pain but Noca finished him off with an uppercut to the face.

Another soldier made his was behind Noca, but the teen turned to his left and landed a strong right-footed kick into his opponent's ribs. Once again, an Alien charged up to the teen, but Noca was able to turn to the right and send his forehead crashing into that Soldier's nose. Another one fell away. Noca turned and saw a fighter that seemed to be a bit wary of the fight. Noca smirked and phased behind him. Once in the ideal position, Noca hit with a spine crunching punch, with his right and then followed up with a explosive left jab to the back of his opponent's head. Another fighter knocked unconscious.

Noca didn't have the time to take any breaks just yet. He phased away and found a new soldier. He hit that one with a fierce jab to the face. That fighter was taken down. Noca phased again and this time he finished another solider, but with an overhead kick, down towards the ground. The teen was already phasing, almost instantly. He arrived in front of an unsuspecting soldier and sent a rapid burst of jabs to his poor face, before disappearing, once more. Once he reappeared, he landed a swift scissor-kick to that neck of another disappointing soldier.

As Noca made to re-compose himself, another large group of soldiers rose up to fight some more, but Noca was beyond prepared for this. He phased again and shot all the way through the group until reaching one towards the middle. He had moved so quickly that no one had enough time to even turn away, or put up any sort of block. At the end of the move, Noca landed a strong elbow to his opponent's gut. That soldier fell from the sky, but that didn't stop more from gathering. Noca took a deep breath and smiled to himself.

Meanwhile, standing cross-armed in the centre of about 50 soldiers was, the Prince of all Saiyans himself, Vegeta. He seemed disinterested by what was happening around him, but that was only because he knew he was better than all those Cold Empire Soldiers. He didn't even want to raise a hand. The soldiers weren't very patient and they all charged in at once. Vegeta's eyes were closed as they came down and started throwing hectic punches and kicks. He didn't even uncross his arms. All he did was dodge around and avoid the incoming attacks. He had no intention to react with any moves on his own, but that didn't mean he wouldn't do it, eventually.

Once the soldiers realised that their punches and kicks weren't doing anything, they took to firing their ridiculous energy cannons. Vegeta still just continued to dodge any that came too close and let the others just crash into the ground and explode around him. The soldiers didn't seem as if they were interested in letting up anytime soon. Eventually, when there was a big enough cloud of smoke around Vegeta, the soldiers stopped firing and left time for the dust to settle.

It wasn't given that time, however, as Vegeta decided to shoot out of the cloud and charged right for one of the soldiers. He landed a strong right hook to one Soldier and then swung around to the left to hit another with his knee. The knee crashed into the face of the shocked soldier and dealt with his nose. After that connection, Vegeta turned and let a single, small Ki blast sail towards another opponent. That Soldier was struck by the blast and knocked out of the sky with ease.

The Prince didn't move on straight away, but a Soldier took the chance to fire a lot of blasts at the Saiyan, but Vegeta phased at the last minute and the energy sailed ahead and struck another soldier in the face. Effectively incapacitating him. The Soldier fell from the sky and Vegeta appeared behind the one that had fired the blast. The soldier was unsuspecting as all the other fighters turned and opened fire at Vegeta, accidently firing upon their own in the process. Vegeta had already phased away, avoiding any hits, again. When he did reappear he planted a fist deep into one of the soldiers' gut and sped off somewhere else immediately. He turned and looked back at the group of soldiers who had all gathered perfectly and then the Prince unleashed his Big Bang Attack.

It was tough, but effective and Freeza was beginning to grow increasingly frustrated by the incompetence of his soldiers. He had an enraged glare on his face, his teeth were grit and his fists clenched. Freeza was itching to get in there and tear his enemies apart, but he wanted to draw Goku out. No matter what they told him, he wouldn't for one second believe that Goku was dead. And if he was indeed in Other World then he would definitely show up to defend his friends. Sorbet looked up at his Master and could see the frustration in his eyes. He started to get reasonably panicked and moved to make a suggestion.

" **Lord Freeza, may I please make a suggestion?"** Sorbet asked, politely. He didn't want to die, after all. Freeza glared at him, but signalled for him to go on. **"I suggest sending Tagoma and Shisami in to help trim their numbers down."**

Freeza looked away from Sorbet and ahead at his enemies and a small smirk started to cross his face.

" **You know what, that isn't a bad idea. Ok."** Freeza chuckled lightly and then gave the order. **"You two will fight, kill them if you have to, but I'd rather them just feel pain."**

Tagoma and Shisami nodded to Freeza and then turned to face the group. They glanced at each other, but didn't say anything, nor did they make any signals. They quickly blasted off, with Tagoma heading towards Goten and Trunks, and Shisami heading for Gohan and Piccolo. Meanwhile, Sorbet was still by Freeza's side.

" **Do you remember the contingency plan?"** Freeza questioned, in a low, but serious tone. Sorbet was almost shocked, but swallowed and a mischievous smile crossed his face.

" **Of course, Freeza. You say the word and I'll execute it,"** He responded, gaining another pleased smirk from Freeza. What could he possibly have planned?

* * *

 _What did you think? Good? Bad? Improvements? Let me know in a review._

 _Also, if you are going to ask me a question, but leave a guest review then I will start answering in an Author's Note on the review itself._

 _Next Time...Chapter 12: The Onslaught Begins_


	12. Arc IV: The Onslaught Begins

_The next chapter in this saga. Only two more after this one!_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 12: The Onslaught Begins**_

Freeza's two training partners, and soldiers had blasted into battle and were approaching their targets. Tagoma was coming close to the Lavender-Haired man, Trunks and his Black-Haired friend Goten. They were distracted and were dealing with the ordinary soldiers and were unaware of Tagoma's approach.

This meant that when Tagoma came and landed down, only a few of the soldiers had even noticed. They saw that one of their Superiors had entered the battle and began to stand down. There was no need to continue fighting these guys if there was someone far stronger to deal with them. Goten and Trunks noticed that their opponents were backing off and they started to refocus their attention when they finally saw Tagoma standing there, staring in their direction with half a smile on his face. Goten and Trunk nodded to one another and then charged for the Soldier simultaneously.

They moved at a fierce pace, but Tagoma was a step ahead of them. He made use of his own advanced speed and managed to jump up and over the two Saiyans. He landed right behind them and swung around to land a strong right hook right in the right side of Goten's face. The Saiyan was knocked away. Tagoma swung around to the other side and sent a left-footed kick into his gut and followed it up with a punch directly to the Lavender-Haired Saiyan's face. Trunks flipped away to gain some distance and recover from that attack.

Goten had recovered and was already charging back in with a punch aimed for the back of Tagoma's head. The Soldier managed to avoid the punch and turned to plant his very own fist deep in Goten's gut. He was certainly surprised by the strength in that punch and had to take a couple of steps back. As Goten backed off and recovered, Trunks jumped over while Tagoma was slightly distracted. Trunks had dropped in with his fist aimed towards Tagoma's head, but the well trained soldier didn't know it was coming and the attack managed to hit its target.

Tagoma stumbled forward, but quickly reacted and turned back to face his opponent. The Soldier grabbed Trunks around the throat with a rapid movement of his arm and he proceeded to slam the Saiyan down on the ground. Tagoma reeled his arm back ready to unleash a powerful one directly to the face, but Goten fired a blast at the Soldier. Tagoma saw it approaching and managed to back off in time, but there was a bit of distance between he and Trunks now. Goten wasn't ready for whatever would come next, but he wouldn't step back.

Tagoma charged for the younger of the two Saiyan fighters and struck him in the face with a powerful fist. Goten fell to the ground, but Tagoma grabbed onto the Saiyan's leg and swung him over towards a large formation of rocks. Goten crashed into the rocks, cracking and crumbling them a little. He tried his best to push up and continue fighting, but Tagoma finished off by unleashing one of his blasts and threw it in that same direction.

Upon seeing the explosion and the rock pieces flying in all directions Trunks automatically feared the worst. He jumped back up and shot towards Tagoma with a sheer intensity. He wouldn't forgive him if anything bad had happened to Goten. Tagoma managed to avoid the first attempt, a punch to his head and he quickly grabbed Trunks in a head lock and slammed him into the ground, on his back. He followed up by crashing his fist down into Trunks' defenceless gut. The Saiyan started coughing, but wasn't given time to recover because Tagoma kicked him in the ribs and sent his body away.

Tagoma lifted his hand and aimed a blast for the Saiyan, but upon firing it, Trunks managed to avoid the blast by rolling out of the way. He managed to get onto all-fours and then charged for Tagoma. As soon as he was in touching distance Trunks was throwing all-manner of punches and kicks. He was unleashing whatever he could in this close-combat scenario. Tagoma was prepared for all of them and managed to block every single one with complete ease.

Over by the rocks, Goten managed to pull himself out and look up to see Trunks giving as much as he could. Tagoma was only teasing Trunks though. He wasn't fighting back and that was clearly frustrating the fighting Saiyan. Trunks was beginning to get extremely annoyed and threw one very powerful punch. That punch was the one lucky enough to hit the mark. The fist crashed into Tagoma's mouth and knocked him off balance.

Tagoma felt the blood in his mouth and he wasn't very please with that development. He turned to look at his opponent and glared. He focussed up and re-balanced himself before unleashing his own powerful punch, right in the centre of Trunks' face. Trunks rolled back and struggled to keep his balance upon returning to his feet. Tagoma didn't let up. He charged in instantly and grabbed onto Trunks' head with both hands and then slammed it into his right need. The sheer force put into the attack was plenty to knock Trunks back. The Saiyan landed on his back, but quickly leapt up only to be greeted by a fast approaching light as Tagoma had already fired an energy blast.

The blast crashed into Trunks shoulder and blasted him away with explosive force. Trunks slammed against a large rock and he was left perched up against it. He could hardly move after that impact. Tagoma quickly got over there and landed in front of the Saiyan. He reeled back his right arm and unleashed a punch right into Trunks' right shoulder. The same one the blast had hit. Trunks smashed through the rock due to the impact and his shoulder cracked out of place. It was dislocated.

Tagoma breathed a sigh and turned around to be greeted by Goten, standing there with a strong glare on his face. The soldier titled his head to the side and chuckled. He didn't think Goten could prove any sort of threat right now so he didn't bother to move. Goten focussed his eyes and quickly glanced at Trunks. He had to do something to help him. The Black-Haired Saiyan charged through to his opponent, but just as Tagoma readied for his attack Goten phased and moved over Tagoma. He wasn't aiming to attack. He was going for Trunks.

Tagoma turned around to see Goten rush over to Trunks and pick him up. He was just moving him away from the battle. Tagoma smirked as he watched them fly away. They weren't worth his time anymore. Tagoma turned around and saw Uub fighting loads of soldiers. He makes the assumption that Uub would be a good next target and he moves over to that conflict.

Meanwhile, Shisami was headed straight towards the Namekian and Demi-Saiyan. Piccolo and Gohan were dealing with their soldiers with relative ease and had been oblivious to the incoming Elite Fighter. Gohan was taken completely by surprise when Shisami charged in and shoulder-barged into the Saiyan, sending him tumbling into the ground. The Demi-Saiyan crashed down and rolled a couple of times, but managed to get his hands flat on the ground and sprung himself back up. He was on his feet once more.

Gohan looked up and saw Shisami staring down. The Red, Horned Soldier grinned and dropped to the ground in front of Gohan. He stared the Saiyan in the eyes and his grin slowly faded. Gohan started to move into his stance, but wasn't given enough time as Shisami charged forward and smashed a fist forward towards Gohan's face. Luckily, the Saiyan threw his arms up and blocked the punch. It wasn't a tremendously strong block and Gohan definitely struggled to hold the attack back. He was sliding back a little due to the strength Shisami had put into his punch.

To Gohan's surprise Shisami pulled his arm away, but as Gohan started to let his block down and prepare for his own attack another punch was already coming in. Gohan put a block up in front of his chest as Shisami's fist connected. This one had more power and actually caused a little pain to Gohan's arms. He stumbled a bit, but managed to maintain control over his block. The Demi-Saiyan put all his efforts towards pushing back and overpowering Shisami. Unfortunately, that wasn't a great idea. Considering Shisami was taller than Gohan he was already in the better position as he was pushing his power down, while Gohan had to push up.

Shisami broke the block and then kicked Gohan in the gut, sending him away. The Saiyan rolled through the air and dropped down to the ground. He landed on his feet, but wobbled for a second and that proved to be an issue. Shisami charged back in fro the attack and sent his head crashing into Gohan's face. The Saiyan was knocked off of his feet again and Shisami followed up his attack by launching a Ki blast towards Gohan. The Blast crashed into Gohan's body and there was an explosion that covered the air in smoke. Shisami lowered his arm and grinned to himself.

But Gohan wasn't a Saiyan to be underestimated.

He blasted out of the smoke cloud and charged towards Shisami. There was plenty of distance between the two so Shisami actually had a little bit of a moment to decide on his next move. He opted to charge as well and both fighters ended up charging for one another. Gohan seemed to finally be in a proper mood and surprise Shisami by managing to land a strong punch to the Red Soldier's chest and then followed up by kicking him in the head. Shisami was knocked back and crashed down to the ground, flipping over and landing with both feet and one hand on the ground.

Shisami looked up to see Gohan dropping in again, but with a swift move of his arm Shisami caught Gohan around the throat. The Soldier smirked and punched the Saiyan in the gut twice. Gohan coughed, but it got trapped in his throat due to Shisami's grip. He wasn't getting out of this grip easily. Shisami turned and slammed Gohan down on the ground and let go of his throat. The Saiyan took in a big breath of oxygen, but was shocked when he saw Shisami prepare to stomp on his face. Gohan had to roll away and he managed to get in the ideal position. He kicked Shisami in the back and as the Soldier stumbled forward Gohan jumped up to his feet and punched him in the spine.

Shisami arched in pain and Gohan continued his attack with a flat-footed kick into his back. The soldier dropped to his knees and Gohan prepared for a powerful punch to the back of his head, but Shisami dropped forward. He avoided the punch and caused Gohan to stumbled forward over Shisami. As soon as Gohan had passed him Shisami got back to his feet and hammered both his fists down onto the top of Gohan's head. The attack had shocked Gohan and was rather painful. The Saiyan was flattened out on the ground and Shisami stomped down on Gohan's back. He began to press down hard on Gohan's spine and that provoked a pained yell.

That yell managed to reach the ears of a certain strong Namekian. Piccolo turned away from his opponents and face Gohan. He prepared to charge of to help his former student, but the Soldiers all surrounded him and tried to close in. Piccolo used a powerful explosive wave, pushing them all away and charged towards Shisami. The Namekian decided to attack head-on and moved at such a pace that he had taken the Red-Skinned Soldier completely by surprise. He crashed a knee into Shisami's face and knocked him off of Gohan. He then followed up with a spinning kick, extending the distance.

As soon as Piccolo knew it was safe he dropped by Gohan's side. The Saiyan stood up and shook off the attack. He smiled and thanked Piccolo before heading off to deal with more soldiers while Piccolo decided to take Shisami. The soldier had returned to his feet and was very angry now. He growled in anger and yelled. He stood there glaring in Piccolo's direction and the Namekian made sure to stay calm and composed. That was very frustrating for Shisami.

Piccolo made the first move and charged in. Shisami moved into a defensive stance, but Piccolo phased behind his opponent and attempted to punch down, but Shisami also phased. Piccolo's punch crashed down into the ground. He looked up to see that Shisami was charging right for him. Piccolo jumped up to his feet and started to back away as quickly as he could manage. Shisami kept slamming punches down towards Piccolo, but a lot of them struck the ground rather than their target.

Piccolo showed that he was definitely quicker than Shisami and gained a bigger distance. This continued to frustrate Shisami who attempted to throw a Ki Attack for the Namekian. Piccolo phased, avoiding the blast, letting it sail through to the distance. Shisami didn't know where Piccolo had gone. He started to look around, but he should have tried looking up.

The Namekian dropped in and kicked Shisami in the side of the head. The Soldier dropped down to one knee. Piccolo landed in front of him. Shisami slowly pushed himself up, but Piccolo punched him in the head knocking him down again. And as Shisami attempted to get up again, Piccolo did the same thing. Shisami needed to do something different.

As Piccolo attempted to do the same thing again, Shisami moved his arm and caught the fist in his hand. He looked up with a smirk and slowly started to stand once more. He began tightening his grip and effectively started to crush Piccolo's hand. The Namekian needed to stop it so he used his free hand to throw a blast up into his opponent's face. Shisami let go and stumbled back, shaking his head. Both stared towards each other and prepared to go all over again.

While the rest of the fights went on Tagoma was on his way towards Uub, but upon seeing just how well he was dealing with the soldiers, Tagoma realised he may not be the best soldier for this task. He stalled and saw the sheer amount of power that Uub was exerting and decide to alter his direction and targets. That's when his eyes fell on Pan, Holline and Krillin. They all seemed to be relatively stronger than the soldiers, but not overly so. Tagoma assumed he could beat them out of this fight and look good in Freeza's eyes.

Tagoma flew over to them and he landed a slight distance away so that he was in their vision, but not disturbing them. He was going to let them come to him. Pan was busy fighting a couple of soldiers, but then she eventually noticed the Soldier. She could sense that he was stronger, but she believed he couldn't be that much better. She ignored the soldiers she was currently against and charged over to this new one. She dropped and moved into a stance. Tagoma smirked and continued to stand proud. She made a mental note of his confidence.

She decided to make the first move and flew in to attack. She attempted a punch, but found it caught too easily. She hadn't been ready for that. The girl tried to pull her arm away, but was finding it rather difficult. She attempted to use her other fist, but Tagoma simply swats it away. The temporary distraction gave Pan enough of a chance to actually pull away and then she sent in a barrage of energy blasts. Tagoma stood strong against them, but this time his confidence started to get the better of him. He hadn't expected them to be as tough as they were. He found himself being pushed back, but he quickly used an energy burst to knock them away.

He then charged up towards Pan, but as soon as Tagoma came close Pan managed to phase away. She didn't get very far though. Tagoma turned around and charged towards her again. He stopped in front of her and used his right hand to backhand her away. It was a powerful backhand and Pan was rolled through the air, but she wasn't down yet. She steadied herself and rushed in once again. This time she punched in him the face and it was a very powerful punch. Tagoma's head was knocked to the side and he stopped for a second.

Pan made the mistake of stopping in front of him and not attacking again. This gave him the time to recover. He slowly turned to face her again and this time he wore a tough, vile glare. Pan started to worry.

Tagoma blasted forward again and punched her in the face. Pan was knocked out of the sky and crashed down on the ground and rolled across the ground. She ended up smashing against a rock. She could hardly move, but she did her best to jump back to her feet. The girl couldn't stop herself from stumbling forward in pain. She tried her best sound tough.

" **Is that the best you got?"** Pan taunted, **"I've been punched harder than my Dad,"** She lied.

Pan wasn't sure she could keep this up. She wasn't prepared for today. Tagoma didn't listen to the taunts and landed down in front of her. He started to walk forward slowly. He wore an amused grin on his face. Pan was getting scared.

Noca could sense that fear and knew that he needed to help her. He charged up and blasted away from all his opponents towards the girl.

Tagoma prepares to hit Pan, but a flash of light and had arrived on the scene. Tagoma had the time to turn in surprise, but he had no chance once Noca unleashed a kick that crashed into the side of the Soldier's head. Tagoma was knocked off of his feet and rolled away. He managed to get back up, but Noca rushed in again. He hit with a right jab, a left jab, another right jab and then reeled his right arm back once more for a final, powerful right jab. Tagoma was knocked off of his feet again and rolled away over to a few rocks.

Noca turned around and helped Pan up.

" **You ok?"** He asked. She brushed herself off and nodded.

" **Yeah, I'm fine,"** Pan responded, she was a little annoyed by Noca's interference. She couldn't deny that she was a little happy that he did help. She looked over as Tagoma stood up.

Noca turned as he followed her gaze. He sensed Tagoma's power increasing and he knew things would get challenging. He put an arm out to hold Pan back.

" **I'll deal with him, get back to helping the others,"** Noca said. It was like an order, but she could tell it was very serious. She nodded and flew away as Noca stepped forward. **"You fight me, and only me."**

Tagoma tilted his head and smirked. He bent down a little and clenched his fists as he started to power up. He body was covered by a red aura and Noca could feel his power getting to a new level. Noca smirked to himself and closed his eyes. He cracked his neck and opened his eyes once Tagoma was done.

" **My turn,"** Noca uttered. There was a flash of Golden Light and Noca became a Full-Powered Super Saiyan.

Freeza was still watching over the fight, but as soon as the light shone his eyes were drawn to Noca. Another Super Saiyan. Freeza was very intrigued and refocused his attention.

Noca and Tagoma both stared at one another. Tagoma wore a smirk that showed he was still trying to exert his confidence, but Noca had a glare written across his face. There wasn't too much waiting time as Noca blasted forward first and aimed his fist for Tagoma's head. The soldier started to move and prepared to move into a defence, but at the last second Noca phased and that completely threw Tagoma's concentration. Noca reappeared behind Tagoma and the soldier began to get rather worried. He wanted to turn, but Noca gave him very little time.

The Saiyan smashed his fist into Tagoma's lower back and the soldier's back arched. He recovered quickly and rapidly swung around to try and hit Noca with is own hook. Noca ducked underneath and quickly moved to the right and used his left to punch Tagoma in the gut. The punch caused Tagoma to bend over in pain and then Noca quickly followed up by sending a right hook into the soldier's head. Tagoma was sent stumbling away, but he tried to shake off the pain of Noca's attacks. He had never fought a Super Saiyan, but he wouldn't back down.

Tagoma stood up straight, but Noca was rushing over at a very extreme speed. Tagoma was given no time to react. Noca lifted up and kicked out at the soldier's head. Tagoma dropped down to the ground and rolled away, but managed to push up just as Noca was flying in again. He aimed a fist down on Tagoma's head, but the soldier caught the fist and started to pull Noca towards him. He planted a fist in the Saiyan's gut and let go of his hand. Noca stumbled away and Tagoma was given the chance to take a bit of control.

The soldier rushed forward and send a right hook into Noca's face and followed up with a left jab. As Noca stumbled back Tagoma swiftly moved forward and attempted a knee into the Saiyan's face, but Noca caught it and took the strength completely out of it. Both were evenly stuck in this position and were pushing back on one another. It wasn't clear who had the upper-hand. There was a struggle as they continued to fight back on each other, but they ended up cancelling out the clash and both flipped away to gain some distance.

Both of them charged some Ki blasts and threw them at the exact same time. The attacks clashed into each other and instantly exploded, filling the air with smoke. Noca took the initiative and flew right into the cloud. He came out on the other side and surprised Tagoma with a kick to the side of the soldier's head. The strength shot Tagoma down into the ground with a big crash, but the soldier managed to jump up to his feet once more and steadied himself.

To show he really wasn't playing around Noca charged down at an explosive pace and sent a rushed barrage of punched into Tagoma's gut. Noca ended the barrage with a final punch and the soldier backed away. He lifted a hand to his chest and dropped to one knee. He was breathing very heavily and it wasn't clear if he could continue much longer. Noca dropped down to the ground and continued to glare towards Tagoma. The soldier slowly returned to his feet and looked up at Noca.

" **You are strong…"** Tagoma muttered, **"I didn't expect it to be this difficult."**

Tagoma smirked again and rapidly charged, expecting to take Noca by surprise. He threw a fist for Noca's head, but the Saiyan simply raised his left arm and blocked the hit. Tagoma backed off and moved to the opposite side and attempted a kick to Noca's ribs. The Saiyan phased out of the way and made it behind Tagoma. The soldier didn't react well to this and attempted to swing around and punch. Noca ducked down again and hit with a gut punch. It was almost exactly the same as before. Noca followed up with an uppercut this time. Tagoma was flipped away and when he landed he dropped to one knee. He slowly pushed up and Noca flew forward once more.

He grabbed the front of Tagoma's armour and pushed him down onto the ground. He sent a crunching punch into the centre of Tagoma's face and then threw him up in the air. Noca jumped up and sent a strong kick into Tagoma's gut and sent the soldier soaring away.

Tagoma smashed down and rolled towards…Freeza.

The evil tyrant looked down on his defeated soldier and then up at Noca. He wore a small smirk as the Super Saiyan slowly walked over. Freeza lifted both his hands up and clapped a few times.

" **Well done, you managed to beat a rather strong soldier,"** Freeza stopped clapping and closed his eyes, **"You certainly are a Super Saiyan."**

Noca didn't even acknowledge that Freeza was speaking with him and he continued to walk forward. Tagoma started to stand up and apologised to Freeza. The Cold Emperor didn't even say anything. Tagoma turned away and rushed off to get back into the battle. Freeza's smirk faded away.

" **I was wondering…what Saiyan are you related to?"** Freeza asked. Noca's brow furrowed and he was unsure if he should answer, but what bad could come from this.

" **I'm the Great-Grandson of the King's Brother,"** Noca answered, **"I'm a descendant of Kayu."**

Freeza raised his brow and chuckled.

" **Wow, a relation of Vegeta's…"** Freeza started. He opened his eyes and narrowed them towards Noca, "Now I am truly intrigued."

Freeza slowly raised out of his pod and then slowly descended to the ground. He set down and cracked his neck.

Vegeta managed to feel some of Freeza's energy raise and he looked over to see that the tyrant was about to enter the battle. He quickly finished off his soldiers and rushed over to Noca's side. Freeza didn't even acknowledge Vegeta's arrival and continued to stare at Noca. The teen Saiyan also continued to focus on Freeza. Vegeta looked between the two of them and wondered what was going to happen here.

" **I'd like to fight with you, boy,"** Freeza stated. Vegeta was a little shocked and stepped forward, but he still didn't earn a reaction. The Prince felt severely disrespected, but he knew Freeza didn't care. Noca held a hand up to tell Vegeta to stay back.

" **Sorry Vegeta, but I'm going to fight him,"** Noca smirked, **"He says he's intrigued by me, I'm interested to see what all the big deal is with this guy."**

Freeza chuckled and then began to raise his power. Everyone's attention was gripped and they watched as Freeza's purple aura started to grow and the villain began to yell out. His power was getting to an intense level and Vegeta hadn't expected this to happen. With a final, primal scream, Freeza's energy flashed and he had transformed all the way to his final form.

" **I did want to save this power for Goku, but I guess I'll show it off to you,"** Freeza said as he grinned. Vegeta stepped forward again.

" **How are you so strong?"** Vegeta asked. Freeza finally acknowledged the Saiyan Prince and looked at him.

" **I trained with Tagoma and Shisami for 6 months, I have achieved a new level of power,"** Freeza explained. Vegeta didn't believe it. He stepped back and growled in anger. Freeza looked around and saw loads of his soldiers laying around looking beaten. That put a scowl on the tyrants face. **"You and your friends may want to move out of the way,"** Freeza said to Noca and Vegeta. They were confused by what Freeza was implying, that was until he started to raise into the air and power up some energy in his right hand. They knew what was happening.

Noca and Vegeta quickly blasted towards their friends and yelled at them to move away. Vegeta grabbed Bulma, Noca got Pan and Holline. The others all followed the two Saiyans as Freeza dropped the blast down towards the Island. Shisami and Tagoma phased out of the way, but none of the other soldiers were lucky enough. Sorbet was already safe.

The blast engulfed the whole island and then it exploded. Every one of the soldiers had been killed, obliterated…by Freeza. The others were rather shocked and even Shisami and Tagoma hadn't seen it coming. The others had all landed on another island and Freeza headed over towards it. He dropped down and smirked.

" **Now we can fight,"** Freeza told Noca. The teen was a little worried now, but he wasn't about to back down. He stepped up and charged his energy. He was taking Super Saiyan to its full extent, without going Super Saiyan 2. Freeza was thrilled by what was about to happen. Shisami and Tagoma came forward to show they were ready to continue fighting for Freeza. Vegeta and Piccolo stepped forward to show they were willing to give it their all and fight those two soldiers.

The next stage was soon to begin.

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed. Leave me a review!_

 _Next Time...Chapter 13: The Tyrant's Turn_


	13. Arc IV: The Tyrant's Turn

_And here it is! The penultimate chapter for this arc. I have enjoyed writing this arc. Mainly because of all the minor changes I made to make it feel like I had put more of a spin on it. Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 13: The Tyrant's Turn**_

Everything had finally taken a moment to calm down and the fighters all had the chance to take a breather. Krillin dropped to the ground and sat with his hands on his leg. He clearly had some sort of injury. There was blood on his Gi and it was torn on his right leg. He was very tired as well.

Holline stayed on her feet, but used a hand to steady herself on a rock as she tried to regain her breath and energy. She had a cut on her forehead and quite a bit of blood had run down to her chin. She hadn't ever been a battle as gruelling and tiring as this one before, but she was proud to be able to help.

Trunks still had a dislocated shoulder and he wasn't letting Goten try and pop it back in. He just sat against the rock and dealt with the pain. Goten was trying to fuss over his best-friend, but he was ignoring his own injuries. The top half of his clothes had been almost completely shredded away and he had a few gashes across his chest and blood had dripped down along his torso.

Pan didn't have an obviously injuries other than some bruises and a small cut on her face. There was only a tiny bit of blood, but she wasn't paying any attention to that. Her focus was the ongoing conflict. She was stood by her Father. Gohan was ok, but he chose to sit out the rest of this fight, unless he was needed. The only completely unharmed fighter that was currently resting…was Uub. He hadn't taken a single scratch in the fight, but that certainly didn't mean he was happy.

The thing right in the forefront of Uub's mind was how an entire city and island had been eradicated all because Freeza wanted to fight against Goku and the Saiyans. Uub couldn't say it out loud, but he was starting to question the usefulness of the Saiyans on Earth. So much destruction.

He shook those thoughts from his mind as he thought about how they just needed to beat Freeza and get this conflict over and done with.

Noca was ready to fight Freeza, but someone had a few worries on his mind. The Saiyan Prince stepped forward and placed a hand on Noca's soldier.

" **It's not that I don't trust your abilities, but Freeza is a terrible opponent, are you sure you want to do this?"** Vegeta questioned, but Noca simply smirked and nodded back at his teacher. Vegeta smirked with pride. **"Good, that's what I wanted to hear."**

Noca stepped forward again.

" **I don't care who fights him,"** Vegeta stated to his student as the Teen stepped forward, **"As long as a Saiyan is the one to end that Bastard's life."**

Noca nodded over his shoulder and focussed on Freeza. He stopped walking and glared ahead at his enemy. Freeza wore a grin that scream confidence, or arrogance. Noca wanted to ensure he wiped it from his face and wiped Freeza from reality. He would give it his all, but his Saiyan instinct told him not to rush in at his full strength.

Tagoma and Shisami both started walking towards their opponents, Vegeta and Piccolo, respectively. The two allies, moved into stances and readied for the combat to start up once more. Piccolo raised his power and made full use of his reserves. Vegeta didn't want this to go on too long so he flashed Super Saiyan and showed he was ready.

All three of the good guys blasted towards their opponents at the same time. The fights had begun.

Noca made the first move against Freeza, but the tyrant didn't even make an effort to dodge of block whatever was coming. This threw Noca off a little as he quickly altered his plan and phased to Freeza's left and attempted to punch him in the head. The small villain phased immediately and Noca stumbled down, but managed to stay up. Freeza reappeared right behind the teen and Noca felt the presence.

He swung around and tried to attack Freeza, but the tyrant had already phased once again. Noca stopped and looked around, wondering where Freeza would show up next. He hadn't expected him to be this fast. Noca was actually a little worried. He completely stopped moving and tried to focus his senses to pick up Freeza's movements. It wasn't so easy. The tyrant was moving so fast, Noca's senses couldn't keep up.

The teen started to feel some energy constantly handing around to his right. It still moved away very quickly, but Noca was starting to assume that's where Freeza was. He grinned to himself and prepared to block on the right whenever Freeza finally decided to stop moving.

Finally, the energy stopped moving around too much and Freeza moved into the attack like Noca had predicted, but he wasn't to the teen's right. At the last second, Noca noticed Freeza's energy on his left. The Saiyan turned quickly, but was unfortunately met with a knee to the side of his head. Noca was knocked off of his feet and bounced away along the ground.

He did manage to flip up and back to his feet, but he was still very shocked by what had happened. He stopped to think about it some more.

" _ **How is he so fast? I need to keep my focus,"**_ Noca told himself, mentally. Freeza was standing tough and staring at Noca with the same evil grin on his face. Noca cursed under his breath and took a moment to steady himself. He took a couple of breaths and closed his eyes. Freeza's brow raised.

Noca's eyes snapped open and the teen flashed forward at an extreme speed. He had a punch aimed for Freeza's head, but that was easily avoided by a swift movement to the left. Noca cursed again and attempted to follow up with a kick to Freeza's head, but the tyrant ducked below the leg and sent a punch up into Noca's gut. The teen dropped back but Freeza followed up with two quick jabs and a strong whack from his tail.

Noca was knocked towards the ground and landed on his back. He grunted in pain, but quickly jumped up to his feet. He glared towards Freeza, but saw that he was just standing in the same calm and composed position as before. Noca grunted in an annoyed fashion, again and charged in once more.

He sent a right hook in towards his target, but Freeza simple stepped back and the punch went across his body, not hitting him. He followed with a left kick aimed up, but once again Freeza simply stepped back to avoid it. Noca straightened up and went for a jab with his right, but the villain just caught it without a second thought and retaliated with his own punch. Noca stumbled away and fell to one knee. It really wasn't his day.

Freeza titled his head to the side and started to chuckle, **"I really expected so much more from a relative of Vegeta's."**

Noca looked up at Freeza and growled through grit teeth.

" **It's a shame really, but I will have to kill you and all your insignificant friends,"** Freeza's follow up statement didn't agree with Noca. He stood up and glared towards the tyrant again.

" **No!"** Noca screamed as he rushed in to attack once more.

Meanwhile, Vegeta was in the midst of his fight with Tagoma. The Elite Solider managed to land a kick to the Prince's head and send him rolling through the air. Tagoma dropped down towards Vegeta and attempted to punch down on him, but Vegeta caught the fist quickly and twisted Tagoma's arm away. After doing so he sent two right jabs into Tagoma's chest and let go of Soldier. Vegeta moved so he was above the soldier and then kicked him down towards the ground.

Tagoma smashed down and Vegeta followed up with a blast barrage. Tagoma managed to jump up, avoid the blast and then rolled away to the side. Once clear of the blast range he charged up towards the Prince and made it to his level. He moved in with a spinning kick and Vegeta had to quickly cancel out his energy attacks and block with his left arm.

He pushed Tagoma's leg away and sent a blast into his torso at point blank range. It had been reasonably powerful, but only succeeded in scorching his armour. Vegeta was surprise and as Tagoma was back away the Prince phased to his side and punched him in the head.

Tagoma dropped away and grunted in pain, but he wanted to attack next. He shot towards Vegeta and sent in a right armed punch, Vegeta simply blocked and parried it. Tagoma followed up with one aimed low for Vegeta's ribs, but the Prince blocked that one too. The soldier's next attempt was a kick aimed for Vegeta's head, but the prince backed away, letting it sail past his face.

Tagoma backed off after another failed attempt and then rushed in sending a barrage of punches for his opponent. Vegeta simply avoiding all of them and then caught the final one. Tagoma was shocked, but then a smirk formed.

" **You really are powerful,"** Tagoma muttered. Vegeta smirked, but then realised Tagoma was trying to pull away. The Prince tightened his grip and Tagoma growled in annoyance. He realised he wasn't getting anywhere and instead pulled himself towards Vegeta. He sent his head crashing into the bridge of Vegeta's nose and the Prince was knocked back. They both had to shake off that impact, but once they stopped and noticed one another they were in to it once more.

Over on the opposite side Piccolo and Shisami were locked in combat as well. Piccolo stretched out an arm and grabbed onto Shisami's soldier. It wasn't a great grip and Shisami laughed at Piccolo's attempt, but the Namekian was simply using it as a way to pull himself towards Shisami.

The Namekian began to retract his arm and dropped towards Shisami at quite a great pace. He landed a rather tough knee to Shisami's face. As the red-skinned warrior fell away he grabbed on to Piccolo's arm and and pulled him down with him. He managed to move into an ideal position and sent his knee into Piccolo's gut and followed up with a head-butt to the face.

Piccolo was knocked away, but managed to twist in the air and charge in for another attack. He crashed his own knee into Shisami's head and then kicked out sending the soldier soaring through the air. Piccolo phased to Shisami's position and performed an overhead kick, sending the solider flying towards the ground at a great pace. Piccolo phased and followed after the soldier and attempted to grab a hold of him, but Shisami managed to move and grab onto Piccolo.

The soldier made a swift movement and managed to send Piccolo crashing into the ground instead. Shisami attempted to drop in with his foot on Piccolo's head, but the Namekian jumped up and flipped away. As soon as Shisami connected with the ground, Piccolo charged in again. Shisami attempted to punch Piccolo, but the Namekian dropped under it and sent his fist crashing up into Shisami's face.

The soldier backed off and shook it off, only to be met with a foot to the face. He stumbled back some more and once he gained some time to look ahead, Piccolo shot a blast right at him. The blast exploded and Shisami was sent away. He rose up and dropped down hard, but was able to push up. Piccolo grunted and clenched his fists.

" **Why don't you just stay down and spare me the trouble of killing you,"** Piccolo taunted. Shisami growled and charged for Piccolo. The Namekian stepped to the side, quickly, but Shisami turned and grabbed Piccolo by the head. He then began attempting to crush Piccolo's head, but the Namekian raised his legs and pushed off of Shisami. He sent a blast at Shisami's face as well, forcing him to let go and the Namekian was able to get away. He dropped down and cracked his neck.

Both of them flew at each other again, ready to go another round.

Noca was still struggling to make any sort of progress in his confrontation with Freeza. The teen was still fighting as an ordinary Super Saiyan, but he was prepared to push that to the complete limit before he even considered Super Saiyan 2. Freeza had been taking a completely relaxed approach to the whole fight and Noca was beginning to realise that he may have underestimated the Emperor.

The teen blasted towards Freeza and aimed a punch with his right towards the left side of Freeza's body, but the villain moved quickly to dodge back and let Noca's attack just miss. Freeza then sent his knee up into Noca's chest and punched him square in the face.

Noca moved back to gain some distance and reorganise himself, but Freeza phased forward and and punched him in the face again. The Tyrant then followed up by flipping back and kicking Noca in the chin in the process. Once Freeza level out he shot one of his Death Beams, but Noca recovered quick enough to narrowly avoid said Death Beam. Freeza rushed forward to catch the distracted Saiyan Off-Guard, but Noca quickly turned and put both his hands out to hold Freeza back.

Both fighters hand their hands on one another's shoulders and were pushing back with all their might. Noca could feel Freeza's nails digging into his shoulders and bit back on the pain. He wasn't going to let something as simple as that get him out of this lock, but Freeza's nails dug deep and Noca could feel the blood running down his back.

Noca grit his teeth and reeled back his head to unleash a head-butt. His forehead crashed into Freeza's nose and the tyrant was force to let go. He growled in anger and swipe his hand across Noca's face, cutting his skin. Noca was shocked by it and he felt the stinging pain on his left cheek, but he tried to ignore it. He slowly turned to glare back at Freeza and the blood started to trickle down his face.

Freeza started to chuckle and clearly took pleasure in the sight of his opponent's blood. Noca grit his teeth and clenched his fists, cracking his knuckles in the process. He quickly cracked his neck and nodded.

" **Ok, now I'm gonna take you down a peg or two,"** Noca threatened as Freeza continued to laugh. Noca moved forwards, slowly at first, but he soon phased at a great speed and appeared right in front of the evil Emperor. He threw his right fist forward and landed a nasty right hook on the left side of Freeza's face.

Freeza's head was knocked to the side and he continued to face away for a second. He was no longer laughing and there wasn't an evil smile on his face. The tyrant slowly composed himself and looked back into Noca's eyes, but that smirk didn't return to his face. Freeza's tail started to whip at the air and Noca knew he had angered him, but this would more than likely play to his advantage.

Freeza rushed in and threw his fist directly for Noca's face, but the teen caught Freeza's wrist and kicked out, hitting his target in the gut. Freeza backed off, but rapidly returned in for another attack. He tried kicked up into the side of Noca's head, but the teen dodge around it rapidly and struck Freeza in his kidneys. The Emperor grunted in pain and then turned around to throw a rather nasty Ki blast.

Noca phased around the blast and moved in towards Freeza. He tried to send a punch up into Freeza's face, but the tyrant caught it only for Noca to follow up with his free hand and hit Freeza in the ribs. The evil Emperor let go of Noca's hand and backed away, shaking off the pain. He was the one who had grit teeth and clenched fists now. Noca had stopped trying to attack and just stared at Freeza.

" **You're so confident in your abilities,"** Freeza said. Noca didn't respond or react in anyway. Freeza smirked again. **"I'll just have to beat that confidence out of you…and quickly."**

Noca still remained calm and composed, but Freeza knew that he wasn't out of this fight yet. His smirk faded again and he phased from view. Noca readied himself to defend, but he didn't expect Freeza to have raised his speed as much as he had done. Suddenly, Noca found himself caught with Freeza's tail around his neck. The teen quickly lifted his hands to try and stop it, but he was too late. Freeza had a tight grip and Noca was losing air.

He desperately clawed at Freeza's tail to try and get free, but he was struggling. He could feel himself becoming faint and knew that if he didn't act quickly then things wouldn't look great for him. Noca attempted kicking back at Freeza, but the tyrant's legs weren't there. Noca continued clawing, but it still wasn't going his way.

Noca tried to calm his mind and think of something, but he was shocked out of it by a strong punch to his kidneys. Noca tried to cough in pain, but it just got trapped in his throat because of the tail and now he was choking on his own saliva as well. Freeza continued to punch Noca in the kidneys, over and over, and the teen's vision was getting blurry. Noca's eyes started to close, but that's when he felt Freeza's tail loosen a little and finally he could breathe.

Noca coughed out the saliva and took a sharp intake of breath. Freeza leaned in close and spoke to the teen.

" **Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you yet. I still need to make you feel a whole lot more…pain."**

Noca growled in annoyance and continued to try and break from Freeza's tail grip, but he soon found himself free as the tyrant launched him towards some rocks. Noca smashed through them and slid across the floor. He slowly pushed up and continued to cough because of the lack of air. He didn't even make it to his feet before cough heavily. He was on his knees when he noticed a red light getting awfully closer.

The Saiyan looked up as one of Freeza's blasts crashed in front of him and exploded sending the teen even further back. Noca bounced across the ground and almost fell off a cliff edge into the sea. He held onto a rock with one hand to slow himself down and was lucky to stop in time. Freeza set down and started to walk towards his opponent. Noca looked up at Freeza and grunted. He slowly tried to get back to his feet, but he was feeling a lot weaker now. As Noca got to both his knees and looked down he saw a lot of blood dripping from his face.

The wounds caused by Freeza's claws had been widened by the shards of rock from that last attack. Noca could feel the stinging and his breath was getting heavy and he tried to push up further. He couldn't continue to let Freeza keep pushing him like this. He needed to fight back!

Noca was on his feet and he started to walk towards the Tyrant. Both were walking towards each other at slow paces. Noca didn't know what he was going to do, but he was sure that Freeza was holding back. There was no way he had exhausted all the power at his disposal. That was why Noca hadn't thought to transform to Super Saiyan 2 just yet. He wanted to see what Freeza was truly capable of first.

Noca started to break into a run while Freeza continued to walk. The teen leapt into the air and dropped towards Freeza with the intention to slam his fist down on the tyrant. He had moved fairly quickly and thought that he could do it, but Freeza phased at the last minute and Noca's fist crashed into the dirt instead.

The strength in his punch forced Noca's fist into the ground and even shook the island. Noca retracted his arm and turned around only to be hit in the side of the face by a swift kick from Freeza. Noca stumbled along and landed on his side. Freeza rushed in again to try and kick, but Noca jumped up and out of the way. Freeza turned to try and follow up with another kick, but Noca rolled underneath that one and managed to get to the opposite side of Freeza.

The teen jumped up to try and punch the Emperor in the back of the head, but Freeza phased again and Noca was left to stumble. Freeza then reappeared behind Noca and blasted him in the back from point blank range. There was an explosion and Noca was flung across the Island. He crashed into some more large rocks and they were sharper than the ones before. They managed to cut at his skin and shred the top of his Gi.

When Noca eventually came to a halt he could barely stand. His body was stinging and aching. He was almost sure it was the end of his fight. He slowly pushed up and got back to his feet, but fell to one knee almost immediately. He looked up at the same moment Freeza appeared in front of him. Noca smirked as he looked up at saw that the tyrant still wore a smirk on his own face.

" **Well now, I expected more from a Saiyan, but I guess you are just a boy,"** Freeza kicked Noca in the face and the teen slammed back against the rocks. Freeza held his hand up and pointed a finger towards Noca's head. He was going to try and kill him. Noca knew it.

But he wasn't going to die. Noca started to chuckle. Freeza was confused but didn't question it. He started to power a small blast at the end of his finger and Noca could feel its heat.

With a swift movement, Noca raised his right arm and grabbed Freeza tightly around the wrist. He didn't look up at the Emperor and kept his gaze focussed on the ground.

" **Go on,"** Noca started, speaking in a low tone, **"Do it."**

Freeza's brow raised as Noca slowly looked up, an amused smirk on his first. He started to tighten his grip on Freeza's wrist and the energy dissipated.

" **I said do it,"** Noca repeated as he got to his feet. Freeza wasn't sure where this had come from, but then there was a flash of energy and Noca's aura reappeared, bigger and brighter than before. Noca's hair all shot up and stiffened as his eyes grew more focussed and the static energy started to fizz around his form. Freeza's eyes went wide from surprise. This was something new.

" **What's wrong, Freeza?"** Noca asked in an amused tone. **"Something wrong?"**

Noca pushed Freeza away with the sheer force of his energy and the Emperor was flung closer to where the others were fighting. They were all distracted and their eyes darted to where Freeza was and then as they observed a bit more they noticed Noca had become a Super Saiyan 2. The teen was striding forward with a confident yet composed pace. Freeza hurried to his feet and clenched his fists, but he had no idea what he was going to do. Or did he?

" **I wasn't expecting this…new form of Super Saiyan,"** Freeza started, sounding very panicked, **"But I've come prepared with my own surprise."**

Upon those words Noca stopped walking and everyone else pooled complete focus into what was about to happen. Both Tagoma and Shisami looked to each other with smirks on their faces. They knew what was about to happen.

" **I was saving this for Goku, but…you'll do just nicely,"** Freeza told the teen.

The tyrant clenched his fists and moved into a powering up position and started to yell out as he vastly increased his level of energy. Everyone who could sense energy went wide eyes in shock and started to slowly back away. Noca stood strong, but he had never sensed power like this before. He was astounded by what he was witnessing. Freeza's screams echoed through the sky as the static energy around his body began to shake violently. The shining light that burst from the transformation was close to blinding. Noca closed his eyes and turned his head away as he waited for the light to die away. Freeza's screams had finally stopped so it was definitely almost over.

Noca turned back just as the light finally disappeared and the sight he was greeted with was definitely…shocking. Vegeta's eyes went wide with shock once he finally got a good look and Piccolo clenched his fist, cracking his knuckles. Gohan uttered a simple "Oh no" and that told everyone around him that this was something new.

Freeza…had a new form.

" **Well, let me introduce you to my Golden Form,"** Freeza spoke confidently as if he had already won the battle. He could tell by the looks on everyone's faces that they hadn't expected this to happen and that definitely pleased him. He closed his eyes and chuckled. **"What do you think?"**

Noca stared at the tyrant and no words were coming to mind. He truly hadn't expected this to happen and the new power he was feeling was certainly something that, right now, he couldn't rival. He took a step back and grit his teeth.

" **I…I have to go for it!"** Noca shouted at himself as he prepared to blast off, but he was beaten to it as he saw the Saiyan Prince blasting in as a Super Saiyan.

" **You're mine!"** Vegeta screamed as he attempted to attack the Emperor, but before he could even lay a hand on him Freeza phased away. The Prince stopped to try and find him, but as soon as Freeza revealed himself he blasted Vegeta away into a large plateau, effectively taking Vegeta out of this part of the battle. Everyone appeared shocked by what had happened.

Shisami and Tagoma turned around to carry on facing Piccolo, alone, but Gohan made sure to act fast.

" **Uub, help Piccolo!"** Gohan commanded. The young man agreed and blasted off to take on Tagoma while Piccolo continued his fight with Shisami. Meanwhile, Noca was left to take on Golden Freeza.

* * *

 _Everyone excited for the FINALE? Great. Leave me a review because, why not?_

 _Next Time...Chapter 14: Vengeance of the Saiyan Race_


	14. Arc IV: Vengeance of the Saiyan Race

_Here it is! The finale of my Resurrection 'F' arc. Also...it's my birthday on Friday. I'm turning 21! Where did the time go? I was 12 when I started planning Dragon Ball AG._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 14: Vengeance of the Saiyan Race**_

No time was to be wasted. Noca didn't want to wait around and see just how strong Freeza had become. He had to act immediately, and that was exactly what he did. The teen Saiyan flashed towards Freeza, but he didn't even hit his target. In fact, it felt as if Noca just flew right past the tyrant.

The teen put his feet down to stop himself, but landed awkwardly and took a little bit of a stumbled and slipped. He fell down to one knee and quickly turned back to face Freeza.

He hadn't even moved.

Noca's brow furrowed as he stared back at Freeza. He appeared to be standing in the exact same spot, the exact same, confident stance. So what had happened? Noca focussed on it in his mind and came to the assumption that this new transformation must have made Freeza that much faster. It was astounding.

Noca jumped back to his feet and phased towards Freeza, showcasing his own speed increase. His punch was aimed to the back of Freeza's head, but once again, Freeza moved. He completely disappeared from Noca's view, but a second later he reappeared right in front of him. Noca was given no time to react and was punished with a strong kick, right to the right side of his head.

The teen was knocked off of his feet and shot to the side at a great pace. He wasn't out of it yet.

He flared up his aura to steady himself and get back into an attacking position, but he wasn't ready quick enough. Freeza shot in with a massive burst of speed and Noca had to try and react within a second. He rapidly threw up a block, but Freeza's impact was still enough to knock him back along the ground.

Luckily, Noca managed to remain on his feet, with the block still intact. Freeza followed up by pounding his fists into Noca's block, just trying to break it down and show that he had that capability. Noca tried to hold on for as long as he could and keep the block up, but Freeza was proving to have the upper hand. The tyrant reeled back and unleased one last punch and broke through the block.

Noca managed to take a few steps away from Freeza to try and regain some composure, but only for a second because the tyrant was right back into it. He threw a right jab towards the Saiyan, but Noca dodged to the left and grabbed onto Freeza's arm, with his right hand. He then found an opening and punched Freeza in the side. The Emperor backed away and turned to face the teen.

He let out a little chuckle and a smirk crossed his face.

" **I must say, you improved with that little power-up,"** Freeza remarked as Noca stood there, still wearing a glare on his own face. He wasn't about to have banter with Freeza. He needed to defeat this enemy. Noca charged and attempted a punch with his right, but Freeza ducked underneath Noca's arm and hit with two rapid jabs into Noca's chest and then kicked out with his left foot.

Noca rolled away into the air and quickly retaliated by throwing a blast down towards his opponent, but Freeza phased away from the attack and reappeared at Noca's side. The teen wasn't ready for that and wasn't prepared when Freeza came spinning in and whacked Noca around the head with his tail. The teen was knocked down to the ground, but managed to roll and position himself so he landed on his feet.

The teen quickly looked up again, but Freeza had sent a Ki attack down to take out the teen. Noca knew it could cause some serious damage if it hit the ground so he couldn't just move out of the way. He had to send the blast somewhere else. Noca threw out his hands and caught the blast and started to push with all his might.

Freeza was still pushing it down with his energy so Noca was struggling to return it. This new Golden form was certainly a challenge. Noca flared up his Ki and yelled as he struggled to push it up, but he could feel Freeza let go and Noca was able to send it right back into the sky. The blast shot out of the atmosphere. Noca was a little confused because he was certain Freeza would be there on the other side, but no…he wasn't.

Then came the surprise, Freeza appeared right in front of Noca and sent a crushing fist into Noca's gut. The teen coughed up saliva and dropped down to his knees. He gripped his stomach and continued to cough a little bit. Freeza looked down on the teen and smirked again. He kicked Noca in the head and sent him bouncing across the ground. Noca shortly stopped and rolled, but managed to push himself up, just in time to avoid a blast that Freeza had thrown in.

Noca hadn't even seen that coming, he just instinctively jumped away quickly. He was lucky, but he had a chance now. He dropped down with an intense pace and managed to smash a fist into the back of Freeza's head.

Freeza dropped forward to one knee as Noca set down behind him and prepared a follow-up, but something distracted him.

Freeza started laughing. The tyrant slowly started to turn around, still laughing, and he looked down at his hands. Noca stepped back, not sure what to expect.

" **This power…this wonderful power…"** Freeza started, still staring at his hands. He clenched his fists and looks at Noca, **"I am the strongest warrior in the entire Universe!"**

Noca didn't want to hear anymore. He attempted to punch Freeza again, but the tyrant caught it with complete ease. Freeza's smirk slowly vanished as he twisted Noca's arm, almost breaking it, and then punched the teen in the face, hard. Noca is knocked back, but Freeza follows in and sends in a powerful gut-punch that causes the teen to bend over. Freeza then dropped his elbow into the Saiyan's back and Noca is knocked flat on the ground.

The tyrant then kicked Noca along the ground and just as the teen finally came to a halt, in came another Ki blast that exploded right in front of the teen and blew him back through a lot of rocks. The debris slashing at his skin and clothes. Noca was already relatively cut up, but this was worse now. He could hardly move, but he still tried his best to return to his feet and continue on.

Freeza landed down in front of the Saiyan and looked down on him with a disappointed expression.

" **This planet isn't even worth keeping around,"** Freeza mentioned, **"Without a challenge, without Goku, I may as well destroy it."**

Noca looked up with shock and some of the others heard what Freeza had said and they were certainly worried because Freeza did indeed have the capabilities to make good on his word. Someone intended to stop Freeza from following through with it, and that someone was Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince had managed to get up during Noca's fight with Freeza and he was now shooting towards Freeza at some pace, but he hadn't even gone Super Saiyan.

Freeza couldn't be bothered to deal with it himself so he decided to do things another way, **"Sorbet, Now!"** Freeza yelled.

Vegeta completely ignored Freeza's call and continued to fly towards the tyrant, but Noca didn't ignore it. He looked around and then managed to catch sight of Freeza's soldier, Sorbet. He watched as the little soldier fired a blast from his ring towards Vegeta. Noca tried to move, but was still in pain. Vegeta would be caught.

Noca put his hand to his head and focussed his energy on the stop right behind Vegeta, next thing Noca knew he had teleported to that spot and made sure to get into a defensive positon behind the Prince. He let the energy from Sorbet's ring cut right through his chest. Vegeta felt Noca's presence and stopped flying towards Freeza. He turned around and saw the blood going down Noca's back.

The teen started to fall from the sky, but Vegeta caught him and dropped to the ground as Noca started to lose consciousness. He could feel the teens energy slowly disappearing, but he knew that the little blast wouldn't be enough to hurt him. He held his hand over the wound to stop it from bleeding so much, but it wasn't going to happen. Vegeta needed to do something else.

" **Krillin, do you have any Senzus?"** Vegeta yelled. The bald monk remembered that he did have one tucked in his belt and he quickly flew over to their position.

" **I have this one,"** Krillin handed the Senzu to Vegeta and the Prince snatched it quickly and then gave it to Noca. The teen's energy levelled out and he was no longer dying, but that didn't settle Vegeta's mind. Krillin stood there next to Vegeta as the Prince looked upped around him. His eyes fell upon all of his allies.

Gohan was sitting there trying to make it seem like he was ok, but in fact had a bleeding injury on his left side. Pan was trying to make sure that he Father's injury wasn't too serious even though she had her own. Trunks, his own son, was laying down as Goten continued trying to help his wounds, ignoring his own serious damages. Uub and Piccolo were exhausted in their fights with Tagoma and Shisami. Holline definitely looked as if she had been through a rough time and Krillin was also pretty shaken up by all the conflict. Then Vegeta's own wife, Bulma, was behind the group, looking rather shocked by everything going on.

Vegeta's eyes then returned to the teen in his arms. Noca's wound had slowed, but his chest was still covered in blood, as were Vegeta's gloves. Vegeta looked at his hands and slowly clenched his fists as he stood up.

" **Krillin, get Noca to safety,"** Vegeta ordered, not even turning to look at him. Krillin nodded and lifted the teen off the ground and flew back to the rest of the group. Vegeta grit his teeth and let his thoughts run around through his head.

" _ **How…how could I let this happen? Again, my Saiyan allies are being beaten by the Bastard. All of my life I have let the people I care about be affected by Freeza's power and I…I can't stand for this anymore. I will not let step all over us Saiyans!"**_ Vegeta's thoughts certainly got the better of him as the Prince turned around and glared at Freeza.

" **Today, Freeza, YOU DIE!"** Vegeta yelled as his power exploded from within. His aura flared up around him and the static energy darted around like crazy. Vegeta took Super Saiyan 2 to the extreme and he was prepared to give everything he had to stop this tyrant once and for all.

Vegeta darted from his spot on the ground, but he didn't even fly towards Freeza. His targets were Shisami and Tagoma. He came up to Tagoma first and let the Elite solider throw a few punches first. Vegeta avoided all of them and then sent a fist crashing into Tagoma's gut. His punch was so strong that it even broke through the armour and Tagoma's skin. Vegeta then opened up his fist and let a blast shoot right through the Elite Soldier's torso. Vegeta retracted his arm and blasted Tagoma's body down into the sea.

Shisami threw a Ki blast at Vegeta to try and stop him, but Vegeta deflected the blast towards Sorbet and Freeza's ship. The blast connected with the ship just as Sorbet managed run on-board and the whole thing blew up, sending shards of debris everywhere. Shisami hadn't seen that coming and was distracted, but that only gave Vegeta a new opening.

The Prince shot towards Shisami and kicked him in the neck, effectively breaking it and killing the red-skinned soldier. Once Shisami's body dropped from the sky Vegeta finally turned to face Freeza.

" **Finally, on this day, I will avenge my people, my planet…and my birth-right as KING OF ALL SAIYANS!"** Vegeta screamed as he blasted towards the evil tyrant. Freeza's eyes went wide with shock and he wasn't expecting such a huge power-up from the Saiyan Prince.

Vegeta appeared in front of Freeza and kicked up with his right foot. He struck the tyrant across the face and knocked the Emperor flying back through the air. Vegeta then phased to Freeza's next position and hammered him down to the ground with his fists. As Freeza went flying down towards the ground, Vegeta flew around and shot in to try and stop Freeza from hitting the ground.

The Prince came in closer to Freeza and kicked him in the side of the face knocking twisting off to the side and crashing into the ground. Freeza rolled along and then flipped up onto his feet. The tyrant stumbled slightly and put a hand down to stop himself from completely losing his control. He slowly pushed himself up, but Vegeta shot in again and slammed a strong fist into the top of his opponent's head and Freeza flattened down on the ground.

Vegeta then flipped away and steadied himself. He watched as Freeza struggled back to his feet, but the tyrant quickly managed to compose himself and get ready to carry on fighting. Vegeta growled at the way Freeza managed to keep going and he made sure to keep moving. The Saiyan Prince charged forward again and tried to smash a punch into Freeza's face, but the Tyrant put up a block and pushed back. He attempted to hit Vegeta with his own punch, but the Prince jumped up and attempted to drop in with another punch.

Freeza dropped back and let Vegeta drop in front of him, but the Prince quickly turned and shot a fist up into Freeza's chin. The tyrant stumbled away, but Vegeta rapidly moved forward and unleashed a barrage of punches and finished with a strong kick out that sent Freeza flying back into a load of rocks. The Golden warrior pushed back up and started to get into a panic about his power. He looked at his hands and contemplated what was happening with his skills. He clenched his fists and charged for Vegeta.

He threw a right fist forward, but Vegeta took a step back to simply avoid it. The tyrant followed up with a left hook, aimed for the side of Vegeta's face. The Saiyan Prince dropped to the left, avoiding the punch and then Freeza continued by attempting a kick to Vegeta's ribs, but the Prince jumped up in the air and spun in with a kick to Freeza's head. The Emperor shot away and crashed through plenty of rocks again. The evil tyrant wasn't having a great time right now, but he still wouldn't give up.

While Vegeta and Freeza continued to fight Piccolo took the time to heal Noca and the teen Saiyan got to watch Vegeta take on one of his greatest enemies. He was certainly surprised by how well Vegeta was doing, but he soon started to realise what was happening.

" **Vegeta can see Freeza's weakness…"** Noca mentioned to himself, but within earshot of Piccolo, Pan and Holline. They all looked to Noca with a questioning expressions.

" **Weakness?"** Piccolo questioned. He turned to look back up at Freeza and examined what was going on with the fight, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Noca smirked and relaxed.

" **Vegeta's got this,"** Noca remarked, but everyone was surprised by how chilled Noca was about the fight. They all turned to watch as Vegeta continued to humiliate the tyrant.

The truth was, Vegeta really could see Freeza's weakness and he was trying to exploit it as best he could. He continued to draw out the fight so that Freeza would soon feel the effects of the weakness and that would only serve to frustrate him far more than he already was.

Vegeta decided to drop back for a second and let Freeza believe he had taken a large advantage. He let the tyrant charge in and throw as many attacks as he felt necessary. Vegeta pretended to take a few hits, but he mostly blocked the attacks. Freeza started to get rather proud of himself and felt that he really was in charge of the fight.

Vegeta made a sudden movement and dropped down to the ground away from Freeza. This angered the cold Emperor as he felt that he was truly getting into a good flow and that had been ruined. The tyrant charged down towards Vegeta and threw a punch toward the Prince's head. The Saiyan dodged to the side, but Freeza followed that movement by swing his leg up high. Vegeta flipped away and let Freeza fly forward at a fairly intense speed again.

Vegeta didn't move as Freeza threw a strong punch towards his enemy. The punch connected with a mighty crash, causing energy to pour out and shake the ground, but Vegeta's positioning hadn't altered. He stood in the same spot, but Freeza's fist had crashed into Vegeta's cheek. The Saiyan's head was turned to the side slightly as Freeza lingered in that same position. He had lifted off the ground and continued to hover there.

He had a very proud smirk on his face, but upon feeling some tension on the other side that smirk started to fade. Vegeta started to push back on Freeza's fist and turned to face the tyrant. Freeza retracted his arm and set his feet down. Vegeta was completely unharmed by that attack and it worried the evil warrior. Freeza took a step back and Vegeta took one forward.

" **What's wrong, Freeza? Experiencing some problems?"** Vegeta questioned, but he didn't need to ask, he already knew the answers. Freeza looked at his hands for a second and then back at Vegeta.

" **What have you done?"** Freeza screamed his question. Vegeta smirked a little.

" **I've not done anything…it's this new transformation,"** Vegeta started, but the tyrant just looked rather confused. "Let me guess, you came here right after you achieved the new form? You didn't take any time to train like it and get a feel on how much your body could handle?"

Freeza looked very shocked by what Vegeta had just said. He didn't fully understand it and Vegeta could tell. The tyrant just looked down at his own hands again and the Saiyan Prince started to shake his head.

" **Let me explain it a bit better,"** Vegeta stepped closer to Freeza and looked him right in the eyes, **"You're losing power, fast."**

Freeza looked down to the ground and grit his teeth. He looked back up at Vegeta and leapt for the Prince. Vegeta grabbed Freeza's arm and pushed him back.

" **Time to show you real power,"** Vegeta uttered in a very sinister tone.

Freeza tried to take a step back and Vegeta very quickly phased forward and Freeza hardly had any time to react to what came next. This just showed why Freeza was woefully unprepared for this fight.

Vegeta led with a simple right hook, then followed that up with a gut punch with his left hand. Freeza bent over due to the force and the Prince sent his right knee rocketing into the tyrant's face, then followed by twisting and kicking Freeza in the head with his left foot. The tyrant dropped to the side and stumbled. Vegeta shot forward again and crashed his forehead into Freeza's face, but that wasn't all. As Freeza backed away again Vegeta blasted a right jab into his face, then a left jab into his chest. Freeza backed off, gripping his chest and Vegeta flipped up and over, dropping a strong kick down into the top of Freeza's head. As Vegeta landed on his feet Freeza bounced down on the ground as as he lifted up a little Vegeta crashed a strong volleyed kick into the tyrant's Golden Body.

Freeza was propelled away into a large rock formation and crashed into the side, powerfully, before falling flat on the ground. Once Freeza hit the hard surface his body change a little as it returned to its regular white. Freeza slowly pushed up and looked at his hands, noticing that he was no longer in the transformed state. He clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground. Vegeta smirked. He wasn't done yet.

Vegeta threw a strong blast towards the rocks where Freeza was and the energy crashed down right in front of the Tyrant and exploded. Freeza was flung away and bounced along the ground a lot. He eventually came to a halt and rolled for a second. He ended up on his front and tried to push up once more, but wasn't given much of a chance as Vegeta dropped on Freeza's back with his knee leading. There was a cracking noise as connection was made and Freeza grunted in pain.

Vegeta grabbed onto Freeza's right up and pulled it behind Freeza's back. He started to pull on it, while keeping his knee in position, and with a large twist and a snapping sound…Vegeta broke Freeza's arm. The tyrant let out a squeal of pain, showing that he had lost any of his intimidation from before. Vegeta started to chuckled, he was enjoying this. The Prince punched Freeza in the back of the head, let go of his arm and got off of his back.

He grabbed onto Freeza's tail and started to swing the tyrant around. He slammed him down on the ground a couple of time, while still holding the tail. He ended it with one final slam down and then held up his tail. With his left hand, Vegeta started to power up some strong Ki and with a simple slash Freeza's tail was separated from his body.

Freeza cried in pain and slammed a fist into the ground. He had blood pouring from the open wound. Vegeta threw the tail to the side and stepped back to admire his work. Everybody knew this was brutal, but no one dared to stop Vegeta. He needed this.

" **Stand up, Freeza!"** Vegeta ordered. The tyrant tried, but his efforts were fairly useless. He had lost use of his right arm and was in some intense pain.

As soon as Freeza got to his feet Vegeta charged forward and slammed a strong punch into his gut. He pulled that same arm back a little and then sent an uppercut into Freeza's face. As the tyrant stumbled away Vegeta reached out and grabbed him around the throat. He started to tighten his grip while keeping Freeza eye-level.

Freeza could no longer breathe and was going to die. Vegeta smirked. He was proud. Happy. Excited, even. He lifted his free hand and held it in front of Freeza's face.

In Vegeta's mind, there was nothing more to say, other than, **"Goodbye."**

As soon as he uttered the word, Vegeta fired a blast and with a swift moment, Freeza was decapitated. He was dead. Freeza had finally been killed. Vegeta finally had his revenge.

The Prince released his body and turned away from it. He was done with the battle. It was over.

The group all looked at one another and they were all exhausted. Vegeta dropped to his base form and stood in the same spot. Krillin stretched and remarked that he wanted to head home. Piccolo and Uub said they would clean up the bodies and Piccolo would take care of getting the Dragon Balls in six months and returning Engan City to how it should be. Krillin, Bulma, Goten, Gohan and Trunks all went back to West City and Noca, Pan and Holline were about to follow on.

Noca decided to take a moment to speak to Vegeta who hadn't moved from his spot. The teen dropped next to the Prince and turned around to look at Freeza's body for a second. He hadn't been moved just yet. Noca then looked back to Vegeta. The Prince had a rather blank expression, but Noca could feel that he was calmer than ever before.

"You coming back to the Compound?" Noca asked, simply. Vegeta nodded, but didn't move. Noca turned away and started to walk away. "I understand if you need some time."

Noca flew up to meet Pan and Holline and then they all went off together.

Vegeta still didn't move.

"I finally did it. I killed him. I avenged my race…" Vegeta looked up into the sky and closed his eyes. He let a smile form on his face. This wasn't the same as all his prideful smirks. It may look the same, but Vegeta was happy. The happiest he had ever been. He opened his eyes and blasted off at a great pace.

* * *

 _Meanwhile - Deep in the Uncharted Regions of the Universe_

The sanctuary sat in silence. All that could be heard was the rushing of a couple of pair of footsteps running through the halls towards the throne. Wuggles and Moonstone barged through the door, disregarding their Master's usual orders to not do so, but this was very important.

" **Sir! Master Kuyato!"** They both shouted in unison. The cloaked figure looked up from his throne.

" **What is it?"** He spoke in that same deep, scratchy, well-spoken tone. He wasn't happy with being disturbed, but he would be even more annoyed when he heard the news.

" **Freeza has been kill, sir,"** Wuggles informed his Master. Moonstone nodded and stepped up.

" **And his army destroyed…"** The second troll followed up. Kuyato gripped the arms of his chair and slowly stood.

" **How?"** He yelled. Wuggles and Moonstone quickly explained everything. How Freeza didn't search for the artefact and went to Earth for revenge. Also how he spent six months training. Kuyato walked down the steps. Both Wuggles and Moonstone cowered in fear, but their Master walked past them. **"I was disobeyed…I need to take a few steps…"**

Wuggles and Moonstone looked to each other, but then Kuyato turned to face them and finished his sentence.

" **A few steps to do things myself,"** He finished. That's when the door opened behind him and in stepped a figure wearing a rather spacey looking armour. It was black with a little bit of red trim. The armour was also covered in a rather shredded cloak. This person also wore a helmet and there were two blades sheathed on his back.

" **I think I can help you with that…"** The mysterious person stated, in a metallic/robotic tone, **"My Lord."**

" **It is about time you come to me,"** Kuyato stated, seeming rather pleased. **"Let's revive the Dark Blades."**

* * *

 _Well, there you have it. More hints to the future, and a great conclusion, I hope. I wanted to try and keep it different from the actual film and felt that giving Vegeta his time was perfect. Please leave me a review with your opinion._

 _I am also in the process of Planning and Writing the next Arc, but I don't know when I plan to have it done by. I don't want to rush it out. So, maybe expect the first chapter in the beginning of May? Sorry about that, but I need to focus on my University work at the moment. Don't worry, I'll never cancel the story, I just need to take some time to make sure that the next arc is as entertaining as I want it to be!_

 _Look forward to reading your reviews, I'll be back soon with..._

 ** _Arc V: Trail of Secrets_**


	15. Arc V: Planning the Future

_**Arc V: Trail of Secrets**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 15: Planning the Future**_

 _Monday 2_ _nd_ _November Age 795_

Cold winds blew through the trees, gently rocking them. Leaves had been falling on the ground and crumbling away to nothing. Every morning the grass would be covered in a gentle dusting of frost. Inside the isolated house one young man sat alone in his bedroom, contemplating, planning. The question was, what was he planning for?

Since the defeat of Freeza and the return to normal scheduled life, Noca had found it difficult to settle back. Pan, Bra and Dom were all attending College in West City and the young Saiyan was left alone to stew. He didn't know what to do. He didn't really want to do anything. He just didn't want to be sat alone all the time. Something had to be done.

Noca looked at his watch to see that the time was only 10:30am, meaning that he still had almost 6 hours before Pan would return, or would be free for him to join her at Capsule Corp. As Noca watched the second hand travel around the clock face another time, he was adamant it was going slower than usual and that frustrated him.

The young man stood up, having enough, and made it for the door. He left his bedroom, rushed down the stairs and out of the front door. He hadn't even put any shoes on and was still in relatively comfortable/lazy clothing. He stood on the path and looked out at the locale. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. Noca slowly brought his hands close to one another and opened his palms, making sure they faced each other. He started to concentrate his Ki to that area and let as much as possible flow to the spot.

While doing this Noca tried to see if he was able to mask the level of energy he was using and trick his own mind into believing there was less energy there than he wanted. This wasn't going well, at first, and Noca managed to flood too much energy and accidentally release the blast. It soared ahead of him and into the trees on the other side of the lake. He accidentally knocked one over and cursed at his failed attempt.

Kicking at the grass, Noca turned on his heel and walked off away from the house. He was getting frustrated and needed to clear his mind.

He continued far into the woods and his pace started to slow. He was far enough away that he could finally get some peace and try again. Sure, nothing had distracted him before, but Noca's mind was the distraction and he hadn't yet realised that. Despite having complete control over his mind, Noca did sometimes wander in thought, and right now his mind was bored.

The young Saiyan walked up to a rather large looking tree and flared up his Ki. His hair stood on end, but he didn't transform into a Super Saiyan. He clenched his right fist and pounded it into the trunk of the magnificent tree. There was a huge dent in the side of the tree trunk and Noca pulled his fist back. He sighed again and closed his eyes, placing his head against the tree and just staying like so.

A few minutes passed with Noca remaining like that. He turned around and leant back against the tree for a second and looked back through the woods. He sighed and started to walk back towards the house, but something seemed to draw his focus back behind him.

Noca quickly turned around and stared into the woods some more. He quickly scanned his surroundings, but there was nothing there. Noca looked back towards the way out and shook his head. Maybe his mind was just playing tricks on him. He started to walk back, but there was the sound of a twig snapping. Noca quickly spun around and flipped back, throwing a small, disarming Ki blast in the process.

The blast sailed forward and crashed against the same tree as before, but nothing happened. It wasn't a strong blast and there was nothing standing there. What was going on? Was Noca's mind really that bored that it was making up a new enemy.

Noca stood up and continued walking away. He was too unfocused to train now.

Noca didn't do much for the rest of the day. He moped around the house. He did help Videl out a little bit and spent some time with Rei, but other than that, he really didn't get up to much. The teen was just too bored and unsure of what he needed to do with his life. Something to keep him occupied was a must.

Pan returned home around 4:30pm and Noca was very thankful. As soon as she walked into his room he went up to her and gave her a big embracing hug. She obviously accepted it, but almost felt like something was wrong.

" **Are you ok?"** The first words to come out of her mouth while still in the embrace. Noca didn't loosen up as he answered.

" **Fine… just… I had a crap day."**

Pan scoffed at the thought of Noca having a crap day. **"You've been home all day, what could have possible been crap about it?"**

Noca loosened the hug and kept his hands on Pan's shoulders as he looked at her. **"I've just had nothing to do around here…"** He explained, letting go of her and walking to the dresser. He started to mess about with a small ornament as he spoke to her. **"I guess I just don't have anything that I need to do at the moment."**

Pan sighed and walked over to her boyfriend. She wrapped her arms around his torso and lay her head on his back. Noca put his hands on hers and smiled to himself.

" **Maybe I should get a job?"** Noca mentioned in a subtle, but questioning tone. Pan pulled back and turned Noca around to face her.

" **Are you serious?"** She asked, seeming fairly perplexed by the mere thought of Noca. She tried to stifle a chuckle, but wasn't very successful. Noca frowned.

" **Of course I am, what's funny about that?"** He asked, feeling just a little offended.

" **Nothing, it doesn't seem like you, is all,"** Pan responded as she turned around and headed for the door. She stopped before exiting and looked back at him, **"I need to go have a shower, you're welcome to come and sit in my room for a bit."**

" **Yeah… maybe,"** Noca replied, smiling at her. She smiled back and left, closing the door behind her. As soon as the door clicked Noca sat down on the end of his bed and stared at the door. He wore a pondering expression as he thought more on the possibility of a job. He could just ask Bulma to give him one, but he wanted to earn one himself, he wanted it to be real and for once, not put on a plate for him by a family member.

Noca smirked to himself and lay back on the bed.

" **I'll show her,"** He muttered.

 _Tuesday 3_ _rd_ _November Age 795_

The next morning, Noca was awake at the same time as Pan and he was going to head to West City with her. Ironically, before Noca started getting ready, he received a phone-call from none other than Bulma. In the call Bulma had mentioned that she needed assistance with something and Noca was the only person suitable enough. At first, the teen was a bit sceptical, but went with it and continued with his plan to go to West City with Pan.

When they arrived, Pan went to College with Bra and Dom, while Noca immediately went down to the lab to see what Bulma had wanted from him.

Upon entry he could see that Bulma had been busy and the room was very untidy. Bulma was up at a computer when the Saiyan entered and she seemed completely unaware of his presence.

Noca cleared his throat to make himself known. Bulma quickly turned around and stood up.

" **Good Morning, come over here,"** Bulma didn't even give Noca a chance to reply. She returned to her computer right away. She began tapping away at something and then a large slab of glass was lowered from a crane hand. Noca looked up and was a bit confused.

" **You made a window?"** He questioned. Bulma sighed and turned around, a serious expression on her face.

" **This is possibly the most powerful glass ever created. I just need to test it before I start applying it to any Capsule-Ships,"** Bulma started explaining. She then placed a hand on Noca's shoulder, **"That's where you come in."**

Noca looked at the glass and then back to Bulma, then shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't sure what she wanted from him.

Bulma pointed at the glass and then at Noca.

" **I need you to test the strength. I want you to punch it at full power,"** Bulma explained. Noca raised an eyebrow and then looked at the glass.

" **Ok,"** Noca said as he walked up to the glass and clenched his fist. He came to it and reeled his arm back, ready to release…

" **WAIT!"** Bulma called out, shocking Noca into stumbling forward.

" **What?!"** He asked, urgently. He believed something had gone wrong.

" **When I say full power, I mean it…"** Bulma told him. Noca raised an eyebrow.

" **You mean… Super Saiyan 2?"** Noca questioned. He didn't want to accept it, but that did seem like what she was asking. She nodded with a pleased smirk on her face. It was as if she already knew what the outcome would be. Noca breathed in and looked back at the glass. As he breathed out his power began to flow and he flashed to a full powered Super Saiyan and then he tensed up as he pushed to the next level. He tried to stifle the yell as he pushed the power out from within. There was a spark and a flash, and Noca was a Super Saiyan 2. He looked back at Bulma one last time, **"Are you sure?"**

She nodded again and then stepped back once. Noca sighed and moved towards the glass. He clenched his fist again and pulled back. He swallowed and then thrust his arm forwards with all his might.

His fist crashed against the glass and Noca had expected it to yield to his magnificent power and collapse in a heap of shards, but that didn't happen. In fact, Noca felt the vibrations of his hit fizzle back through his arm. Noca's fist also bounced back about half an inch. He had been unable to hold it forward, completely against the glass. Noca furrowed his brow from confusion and looked back to Bulma.

" **It works!"** She exclaimed, clearly pleased with her results.

" **What happened?"** Noca asked.

" **It's a new type of glass that I've infused with a very strong metal. It has the ability to absorb vibrations and push them back on the source. It's a glass that not even a Saiyan could break,"** Bulma explained. She seemed to be pretty giddy about the whole thing. **"I should start using it for everything. That way, Vegeta won't break anything."**

" **This is amazing, Bulma,"** Noca responded, as he dropped down to his base power and touched the glass again, **"Fantastic work."**

Bulma smiled at him and then returned to her computer. The glass was lifted away and something that had been behind it the whole time caught Noca's eye. His brow furrowed as he walked over to it. It looked to be some kind of suit or armour. It was made of metal and looked very menacing.

" **Uh…Bulma,"** Noca said, getting the Blue-haired woman's attention.

" **Yeah,"** She said, not looking up from her computer. Noca turned to look over his shoulder at her and then back to the suit.

" **What's this?"** He asked. She finally looked up from her computer and Noca could hear her let out a slight chuckle. She walked over to him and pressed a button on the wall next to it. A glass window opened and the suit came forward.

" **This is a battle-suit that I have been commissioned to design and build a prototype of,"** Bulma explained. **"The King of Earth wants me to have something that could possibly, one day, be used by the army."**

Noca kept his eyes on it and that same confused expression on his face. He put a hand out and touched it, wanting to know how tough it felt.

" **We don't need this though,"** Noca suggested.

" **No, we don't,"** Bulma responded, as she turned and walked back to her computer, **"But they at least want something, and this is what I'll give them. They'll be lucky if I actually give them the suit, but they definitely won't get the robot."**

Noca was nodding along with what she said, but the last thing she added definitely too a second to resonate.

" **Wait, what robot?"** Noca asked, shaking his head. Bulma looked up and smiled.

" **I'm not just building a suit, I'm also designing a fighting-robot,"** Bulma explained. Noca was confused.

" **So, like an android?"** Noca questioned.

" **Well, similar, but without the evil intent,"** Bulma explained. Noca nodded again and turned around, but Bulma was already rushing over to a large pile of boxes. **"I have another Job for you, I need you to deliver these boxes…"** she hands him a slip of paper, **"to this store."**

Noca looks at the paper, and at the boxes, then back to Bulma.

" **Will I have a jet to use?"**

Noca wasn't very experienced flying the Capsule-Jets, but he didn't seem to have too hard a time. It was annoying that he had to fly all the way over to Satan City again though. On the way there he sent a message to Holline asking if she and Kiera would want to meet up, so at least he wouldn't go back home afterwards and have a boring afternoon.

The place Noca was delivering these boxes to was a rather large shop and even had a deliveries entrance. Noca, not sure of what he was supposed to do, landed the jet just outside of the large warehouse opening. He hopped out of the jet and opened up the storage section to reveal the piles of boxes. He stood by the ship and waited for someone to come and collect them, or at least greet him.

" **Hello?"** Noca called out. He started to walk towards the warehouse opening to see if he could find someone. **"Capsule Corp. delivery…"**

That's when someone finally appeared. It was a girl, and she seemed to be walking at quite a pace, as if she was late. She had straightened, brunette hair, she was shorter than Noca and was wearing a work uniform. It was only when she got a bit closer than Noca realised he already knew this girl.

" **Alice?"** Noca said in a questioning tone. He was certain it was Alice, the best-friend of that girl Chloe from school. The girl stopped and looked at Noca for a second. It was as if she didn't know what to say, but all of a sudden it seemed like a great weight had been lifted off of her.

" **Oh, Noca… you're delivering for Capsule Corporation?"** Alice asked. Noca chuckled and shook his head.

" **No, not really. Bulma just asked me to deliver this for her… so…"** Noca paused and seemed to be thinking about something. **"I guess I am then."**

The two of them shared a quick laugh together and then Noca started to unload the jet. He put the boxes where Alice told him to.

" **So, how are Pan and Bra doing?"** Alice asked, trying to strike up some conversation while Noca did all the heavy lifting. He didn't think it was heavy though.

" **Ah, they're good. Both at West City College, preparing for University,"** Noca explained.

" **And you?"** Alice asked. This was definitely not a question Noca had an answer for. He put the next box on the ground and straightened up slowly.

" **Nothing…"** Noca said with a sigh. Alice looked as if she though she made a mistake in asking, but Noca cleared it up quickly. **"It's my choice though. I obviously got kicked out of school… didn't really wanna be there."**

Both of them laughed again.

" **But you have your… fighting… right?"** Alice said in a questioning tone.

" **I do, but it's not really something I can do all the time and earn money from,"** Noca explained. **"I can't really fight everyday… that does get boring too. I just find myself sitting around and doing nothing…"**

Alice seemed to be quiet for a second as she thought to herself.

" **Well, why don't you get a job here?"** She suggested. Noca stopped with the boxes and looked to her. **"I know we're hiring and we need someone who can work the warehouse at all times. You're strong so you could do it."**

Noca seemed to ponder it for a second and looked off as he thought.

" **You know what, yeah. Go for it,"** he said with a smile on his face. Alice seemed pleased with that as well.

" **Great, you continue here, I'll go grab my manager,"** She instructed as she jogged off to find her manager. Noca watched after her and smirked to himself.

A few minutes passed, Noca was done with the boxes and Alice re-emerged with her boss.

" **This is Noca,"** She said as the manager held his hand out. Noca quickly shook it.

" **It's good to meet you… Mr?"** Noca said, waiting to hear a name.

" **Howard. So, you want a job?"** The man seemed pretty serious. Noca looked over to Alice and back to the manager.

" **Yeah,"** He answered. Mr Howard looked him up and down and then cleared his throat.

" **Can you operate any sort of heavy machinery for lifting?"** He asked. Noca looked around at the stuff in the warehouse and scoffed. **"Something funny?"**

" **No, it's just that… anything you'd use machinery for in here I could lift by myself,"** Noca said, but soon realised it could have come off as a brag. **"I think…"**

The manager looked over to a piece of machinery that was rather big, and obviously heavy. He looked back to Noca and shook his head.

" **Are you crazy?"** He asked. Noca raised an eyebrow. He knew he couldn't convince this guy with words so he walked over to the machine and lifted it up with both hands and held it up with only the palm of his left.

Safe to say Noca got the job, and Alice was pleased because she finally had someone that she knew working there with her. After that, Noca left and met with Holline and Kiera for a little while. They walked around the mall together for a little bit and when it was starting to get dark Noca decided to make his way home.

Apart from the fact that Noca got a job, the day had been fairly uneventful.

Until Noca was knocked out of the sky by a flash of light. It was nothing special, but it was certainly a big enough deal to distract him and cause him to fall all the way to the ground. He hit with a thud and rolled along because of the speed at which he fell. He stopped rolling and pushed up to his feet right away. Ready to fight if necessary.

No one was there. Noca was breathing heavily and looking around him. He knew something or someone must be there. Things like that don't just happen for no reason. Noca's energy flared up and he flashed Super Saiyan.

" **You better come out!"** Noca yelled, **"I'm not the forgiving type."**

Nothing. Noca was getting a little infuriated now. He clenched his fists and prepared to start throwing blasts.

" **Fine. I gave you a chance!"** Noca said. He started to draw in his Ki, but then he was distracted by a voice.

" **There's no need to attack anything,"** a very calm, composed voice spoke from behind Noca. The teen swung around and the same white cloaked being as before was standing before him. Noca clenched his jaw and turned away again.

" **You keep coming to me, but I have no idea who you are,"** Noca was audibly annoyed. The cloaked man walked towards Noca. **"You need to give me answers."**

" **You'll get them,"** The cloaked guardian responded. He walked in front of Noca and placed a hand on his head. **"But now you must see what has been seen."**

Noca didn't even have a chance to respond as he was flung right into some sort of strange void.

He floated in the space for a few seconds before there was a sudden flash of colour and everything exploded around him. Land started to form and Noca was suddenly sent crashing down to the ground of a dark, deserted and barren wasteland. The atmosphere felt thick and he could hardly breathe. The sky was shrouded in a dark purple mist and thunder echoed through the air. Noca looked up and saw the ruins of an ancient temple. Something was familiar about the place, but he wasn't given a second to collect those thoughts. The ruins of the temple began to fall down and with that the ground started to crumble away.

Noca fell through a deep dark abyss and came out into open space. To his surprise he could breathe, but things were strange. He was looking down on what seemed like a huge tower protruding from the planet's surface. Noca's brow furrowed and he tried to make some more sense of the situation, but once more he wasn't allowed that chance. He was flung through space again and this time he landed on a large asteroid. There were many others floating around, but in the middle there was on huge rock formation with a large building. It looked ancient and soon Noca was thrown down inside the building.

He was now inside a large hangar like room. A throne room. It was empty. And dark. Noca stood up and looked around to try and actually get his bearings. It was quiet. Too quiet. Then he heard the sound of a cough from behind and a familiar voice spoke his name.

" **Noca."**

It sounded pained, but Noca recognised it instantly. He turned around to face where it had come from and called out for that person.

" **Vegeta?"**

There was no response, but a body came into view. Revealed from the shadows. Noca could see what had happened to him. His armour was completely destroyed, his under-clothes ripped and blood was everywhere. Practically gushing from his open wounds. Noca rushed to his aid as Vegeta collapsed on his stomach. Noca rolled him over and looked in his eyes.

He was dying and there was nothing he could do. No healing powers to use. No Senzu beans. No way to get him to a healing tank. Noca felt tears welling-up in his eyes. He felt the emotion as if this was truly Vegeta's time. It was too strange to make sense of. Vegeta lifted a bloodied hand to Noca's face and touched his cheek.

" **Y… you are the only one… no one else… you… you have to… have to… kill Kuyato…"** Those words came out of Vegeta's mouth and then like that he was gone. Lifeless in Noca's arms. The teen wanted to scream out in anger and felt the tears flowing down his cheek. Noca was ready to unleash a primal scream, something unlike anything he had ever felt before, but he was stopped by the sudden sound of another familiar voice.

" **This is just one of many possible futures for you,"** The strange guardian in white spoke. He didn't sound one bit concerned, but Noca knew that these words held a great meaning.

Noca turned around and was suddenly back on Earth. The same place he had fallen. He was on his knees. In the same position he had been when Vegeta was in his arms.

" **What do I have to do?"** Noca asked, still not sure anything he saw was real.

" **Listen to what I say,"** The guardians said. It wasn't a suggestion; it was an order. **"You must follow the vision. Find the temple. Find the Saiyan home-world."**

Noca was shocked to hear those words. He stood up and stared at the Guardian with confusion. **"Planet Vegeta is gone…"**

The Guardian turned away and suddenly started to disappear. He didn't say another word and Noca didn't press further. He was confused. What was he meant to do? What did it all mean? Why him?

* * *

Hey fans. So, sorry for the long wait, I've just been so damn busy. I'm happy to say weekly releases are back until the end of this arc, I hope.

I truly hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know that it feels very filler-like, or slice-of-life, but I do make sure to progress the story in some way and everything caters to further character development. Everything matters. And the chapters all pretty much range in length. I should also say that from the release of this chapter the story has been updated to an M Rating based on some future content. I'm almost certain I could still get away with having that content in teen, but this is just a precaution, I could plan for my "graphic" stuff in the future. And yes, I am talking about sex.

I hope to read some lovely reviews from my regulars!

Also, if you're interested, I was involved in an RP with a guy named Greatest Soldier, just for fun to be honest, but it blossomed into a story. It serves as an unofficial AU sequel to the previous arc of this story. It's mainly Greatest Soldier's thing, but Noca, Dom, & Kareshi all show up in it. The story is called Darkest of Sins and you can find it on Greatest Soldier's profile. If you're interested, check it out.

Next Time… Chapter 16: The Next Step

ps. My first story has crossed 10,000 views since I've been away. Now, I know there are definitely stories with way more than that on here, but that's quite a damn accomplishment for me. Thanks to all of you who have supported me by reading this story. You're the reason I put all my effort into making this amazing story!


	16. Arc V: The Next Step

_Feels good to have regular releases once more. Hope you enjoy this one!_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 16: The Next Step**_

 _Wednesday 4_ _th_ _November Age 795_

The next morning Noca woke up early from strong visions and memories of what he had endured the previous night. He was so confused and unsure. The Saiyan started to believe he had actually had a really weird dream, but the more he thought about it the more vivid it started to feel. And the fear was starting to kick in.

He had to speak to Vegeta.

He told Pan that he would meet her, after she had finished at college, at Capsule Corp. That's when the perfect chance to speak to Vegeta would arise, as it still terrified him. The mere thought of holding Vegeta's dying body in his arms… in the state it was. That would haunt him for quite some time. But the Guardian said it was only one of many possible futures. This could all change.

Noca had to ensure that it did, in fact, change.

Noca arrived at Capsule Corp. around 4pm. Pan had just got there and Noca was happy that someone else was there. Pan would believe him, and she'd support any decisions he made on the matter. But there was one big question. Would Noca actually tell Vegeta about everything he had seen?

When he arrived, Noca met Pan, Bra and Dom, and sat with them in the kitchen. They were talking about things that had been going on at College and Noca informed them all that he would be starting at a new job the very next day. They were all, of course, surprised. Noca just explained that he was getting bored being at home alone most of the time and needed to make a change. This was a good change as he would be earning money as well.

Eventually, Vegeta emerged from the GR to get a snack and that was when the others were about to leave. Not Noca. He told them he needed to talk to Vegeta, then asked if Pan would stay with him. She didn't even question it and sat down next to him at the table. Vegeta almost instantly recognised that Noca had something on his mind and decided to start the conversation.

" **What is it?"** Vegeta asked. Noca swallowed and took a quick breath. He blinked and looked up at Vegeta as the Prince turned around.

" **I want to know about the Saiyan home-world,"** Noca outright said his first point. This would be the way to start the conversation. Vegeta stopped drinking from his bottle and put it on the counter. The two stared at each other for a second.

" **Originally called Planet Plant… inhabited by the Tuffle people,"** Vegeta explained, but Noca just chuckled. This frustrated Vegeta, a little. **"What's so funny?"**

" **Not Planet Vegeta. The Saiyan home-world,"** Noca reiterated. Vegeta looked to the right, out of a window and then sighed.

" **Why?"** He asked, simply. He looked to Noca again and saw that the boy wasn't ready to explain just yet, but there was worry in his eyes. Vegeta swallowed and looked to the ground. **"Planet Sadala. Never seen it. It was deemed uninhabitable long before I was born."**

Noca closed his eyes and saw flashes of the ruined planet with the temple. That was it.

" **We made a deal with the Tuffles. They would share their planet with us, to help us,"** Vegeta started to explain. **"The more violent Saiyans took over and waged war against the Tuffle people. Eradicating them and taking the planet for themselves. My Great-Grandfather, the first in our family to be named Vegeta… took charge. Thus began the Saiyan Royal family."**

Noca sat back in his chair and looked up at Vegeta.

" **Whatever happened on Sadala changed our people,"** Vegeta finished. He then leant forward, putting his hands on the table. **"Now tell me why you need to know."**

Noca looked down at the table and was fiddling with his hands.

" **I saw a vision… of a temple, somewhere out there…"** Noca looked up into Vegeta's eyes again, **"We said we would, but now we need to."**

Pan looked between the two of them and was questioning it, in her head.

" **We need to go to space… very soon,"** Noca finished.

" **This has something to do with Kuyato?"** Vegeta questioned. Noca nodded, not wanting to reveal how he knew it was to do with him. **"So, we need to find the Saiyan home-world. Lost somewhere deep in space. Lots of great training opportunities."**

Vegeta had a fairly excited expression on his face. Noca smirked and looked over to Pan. She didn't look very happy. Noca's smiled faded and he was about to ask what was wrong, but then she stood up, slamming her hand on the table.

" **So, you're just gonna up and leave… like that?"** Pan said, clicking her fingers. Noca wasn't sure what to say.

" **Yes,"** He answered, bluntly.

" **No."** She started, shaking her head. **"I can't let you. It'll be too dangerous. You might get lost… or worse. You can't just go chasing some random dream."**

She was starting to get rather loud and very angry with him. Noca stood up too, prepared to fight for his defence.

" **It is not just a random dream. This was a vision. I was shown this. I have to follow this** ," Noca tried his best to explain the scenario. Pan was still having none of it. She shook her head.

" **I don't think you're being clearheaded,"** Pan suggested. Noca seemed to take some relative offence to that. He was certain of this and he really wished he wasn't. He wished he hadn't seen Vegeta dying in his arms, but that's what happened.

" **I know what I need to do,"** Noca exclaimed, raising his voice a little. Pan was very shocked by this and stormed out of the room. **"Fuck,"** Noca muttered to himself as he rushed off to follow her.

He managed to catch up with her in the hallway and put his hand on her shoulder, turning her around, but he tried not to be forceful. She stopped and avoided looking at him.

" **I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, but… I have to do this,"** Noca still found it too difficult to explain, **"I have seen things I wish I didn't ever have to… I need to make things right."**

Pan still found it hard to look at him in that moment and Noca started to understand. He sighed and looked at the ground. Pan took his hand in hers and gave him a very quick kiss on the cheek. **"I guess I'll just have to get used to it."**

After saying that she walked upstairs to Bra's room, leaving Noca standing there to ponder it all. He didn't move for a few minutes because of two reasons. One, he felt bad. Two, he didn't want to face Vegeta again right now.

 _Thursday 5_ _th_ _November Age 795_

So, it was Noca's first day of working a proper, paying job. It was safe to say that he was reasonably nervous, but at the same time eager to start. This was going to keep him occupied while Pan was at college, but also, until he went to space with Vegeta. That was something that he knew would need to happen very soon, judging by what the Guardian had said, and Noca wanted to ensure that he did as he was told.

Noca arrived at the store and was immediately greeted by Alice. Turned out they had the same shift that day. Noca was pleased that she was there to help him settle, and she was equally pleased that he was there with her. She gave him a quick tour of the building and showed him where the staff area was. Noca didn't want to linger around too long and asked where he needed to go to get on with work as soon as possible.

Alice led Noca down to the warehouse and told him that there was a notice-board that told him all the things he needed to do. Noca saw the board and made sure to get started on his jobs as soon as possible. Alice had to go out onto the shop floor for her shift, but told Noca to come to her if he needed any sort of assistance.

The first part of the day moved relatively quickly. Noca found himself getting used to what had to be done. He had started bringing boxes down from high spaces. Boxes that were full of things that needed to go out on the shop floor. He would unload the boxes and make sure that the contents were stacked safely in the right area, ready to be taken out into the shop. Noca found that he was working with some reasonable people, but he didn't intend to get all friendly. He just put in some earphones and listened to music while he worked.

The only time he really needed to be shown what to do was when there was a delivery and he had to sign for it, but again, he learned quickly and got on with the next job. At about 1pm, it was time for Noca's lunch break and he planned to go and eat his food outside on his own, but someone stopped him.

" **Hey,"** Alice called out to get Noca's attention. She walked up to him quickly and started to walk with him, **"Where you going?"**

" **Just planning to eat my food outside,"** Noca answered. Alice didn't seem to like that answer and shook her head.

" **I can't let you go and sit outside on your own, it's getting cold out there** ," Alice told him, **"You should come and sit with me in the staff room… I don't wanna sit alone."** She took a hold of his arm and smiled. Noca smirked and agreed with her. The two of them walked up to the staff room together and found a table at the edge of the room.

When they sat down Alice decided to kick up a conversation.

" **How you finding it here?"** She asked. Noca took a bite of his food, chewed and swallowed before he answered.

" **It's good. Simple work, if I'm honest,"** Noca said, chuckling to himself. **"It's a good way to kill some time though."**

" **I'm glad your settling in well, I honestly didn't care much for this job for a couple of months, but I'm definitely settled now,"** Alice explained as she ate her food. Noca wondered why she was working in this place.

" **What are you up to anyway… other than working here, I mean?"** Noca questioned, leaning forward in his chair.

" **Oh, I'm at college. Satan City College, of course,"** She answered, rolling her eyes and smiling.

" **What are you studying?"** Noca asked, furthering their conversation.

" **Creative writing,"** Alice said while nodding. Noca seemed to be a little surprised and smirked at her. **"Yeah, I've wanted to be an author for a very long time now… I just don't really want to be stuck in Satan City. I've been here my whole life now… I want to see more of the World."**

" **Well, you're studying something very interesting, I hope it goes well for you, but if you feel like you're stuck here in Satan City why didn't you try to go for a different college outside of the city?"** Noca questioned.

" **My Mother… she doesn't really want me leaving,"** Alice rolled her eyes again and seemed rather disappointed. **"She thinks I should stay in this city and close to home."**

" **But you feel like that holds you back?"** Noca asked.

Alice only nodded in response and looked down at her food. She really didn't know what she wanted to do. Whether or not she wanted to stay in Satan City to be close to family, or go somewhere else in the hopes that more opportunities will come her way.

" **Anyway, what's Pan up to?"** Alice asked, changing the subject and making Noca the new focus.

" **She's doing a business course, in West City,"** Noca answered, **"It's just something that she can actually make some use out of. With Bulma basically being family if she can get the degree she has an in at Capsule Corp."**

" **That's cool, I hope that goes well for her,"** Alice said, smiling. Noca smiled back at her. They spent the rest of their break chatting about things they had got up to since Noca had been kicked out of school. Noca obviously didn't talk about Freeza and that stuff. He didn't want her to think he was too weird. Once their breaks were over they both returned to work and didn't actually talk for the rest of the day.

Noca finished work around 4pm and by that time he made sure to get off home quickly. It had been a busy day. At least, Noca made sure he was busy all day. When he finally arrived home Pan came and asked him how his day had been. Noca told her he liked it, but he did miss out one major fact about his job. He didn't tell Pan he worked with Alice. There was no reason why he didn't tell, he just seemed to forget to.

Noca also asked Pan how her day had been and the first thing she told him about was a big party at the weekend. It was part of the college thing and she definitely wanted to go. Noca wasn't sure he would attend, but said that he would meet her after work, unless something else got in the way. Party day was only Saturday… two days away.

 _Saturday 7_ _th_ _November Age 795_

Noca woke up and started to get ready for work. The weather wasn't to his liking, but he didn't really have any control over that, unfortunately. At least he would be inside most of his day and would avoid anything like rain, should It happen to rain, that is. It wasn't early that Noca had to be at work either, and he was only in for a few hours. Noca just remembered that Pan had asked him to go along to that party. He really didn't want to.

As he was about to walk out the door and leave for work, Pan caught his attention and had a question.

" **So, are you coming tonight?"** She asked. Noca stopped and turned slowly. She looked very hopeful.

" **I'd really rather not…"** Noca said, truthfully. She didn't really like that answer and seemed rather disappointed with him now. Noca sighed. **"Maybe, if I'm not tired from work…"**

" **I hope you do come, it won't be the same without you,"** Pan said as she took a hold of his hand. Noca scoffed at that.

" **You'll be fine without me, you'll still have fun with the others,"** Noca replied, but again it was something Pan didn't want to hear. Noca blinked and looked out of the door, then back to her. **"I'll most likely be there… ok?"**

Pan was happy with that answer. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek, **"Thank you, I'll see you later then, have a good day."**

Noca watched her walk back to the kitchen and then turned to finally leave. He flew off at a fast pace, wanting to get to work quickly.

Once at work Noca seemed to get on with his work in relative silence. He didn't really want to interact with anyone and he wasn't sure what was wrong. There was something on his mind that was pinching at him, but he couldn't place it. He tried to shake it off a few times, but realised that he probably just looked weird. When it came to his break he tried to rush off outside, but still managed to bump into Alice.

" **Oh, Noca, slow down a bit,"** Alice said with a little chuckle. Noca smiled weakly at her and apologised. Alice noticed that something seemed very off. **"What's wrong?"** She asked.

" **It's…"** Noca started, but he really didn't know what the issue was. He chuckled lightly and looked at her, **"I don't really know."**

" **Oh, well, do you wanna talk about it?"** Alice asked, clearly trying to be there as a friend. **"You could always come by my place after work, have some dinner?"**

Noca didn't know where this offer had come from and it actually made him feel rather uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly on the spot. At least he actually had an excuse to use.

" **I can't… Pan wants to see me after work tonight… so… yeah, thanks either way,"** Noca answered, still appearing to be awkward. Alice nodded in understanding.

" **That's cool, well, have a decent break,"** Alice said. She smiled at him as she walked off to go back to the shop floor. Noca didn't look back as she walked off and he just stayed in the hall. That was something weird that happened, at least in his eyes.

Noca just got on with his shift as normal and once finished he got changed into some different clothes in the bathroom and then decided to head off to this party. When he touched down in West City Noca noticed something that he would have had to worry about in the past, but at least there were no longer any issues.

He looked up in the sky and saw that there was a Full Moon that night. He smirked to himself and then walked to the house where the party was taking place. Noca found the right place and gingerly walked up to the door. Someone on the door gave him a strange look and for some reason Noca took that as an offence.

" **You got a problem?"** Noca asked. The guy stepped forward in a threatening fashion, but his friend seemed to hold him back. Noca shook his head as he entered the building and started to look for Pan. For some reason he could not only sense her better than everyone at the party, but he could even smell her. Noca shook his head as he moved through, trying not to knock people.

Eventually he came to an opening and turned in a circle to try and spot her. Luckily, he managed to and saw that she was fine, dancing with Bra and some others. Noca nodded to himself and was about to walk off to get a drink, but something scratched at his senses and he snapped back to look in Pan's direction. Noca could feel his instincts pushing him and when his eyes fell upon his girlfriend… those instincts, those sense, went haywire.

There was a guy. He was near Pan. He had his hand on her arm. There was a smile on his face. Pan acknowledged his existence and… and she didn't seem to care. Noca's emotions were starting to fuel his actions. Pan continued to dance with him, harmlessly, unaware that Noca was fast approaching.

The teen didn't even bother to make himself known. He just sauntered up to the guy and with a simple push, had him falling to the floor with a thud. People moved around to create space for the guy as he tried to push himself up, but Noca pushed him back down and was ready to follow up with a fist. Pan had to grab a hold of him.

" **Noca! Stop!"** Pan yelled, trying to be heard over the music, as she grabbed his arm and held him back. Noca stalled and slowly turned to face the girl. As soon as he saw the look on Pan's face, the disappointment and annoyance, Noca's primal instincts started to fade away and he was calming down.

Noca backed away as the other guy stood up and rushed off away. Noca shook his head and looked up at Pan. He started to notice that everyone was looking at him and he breathing was getting heavier.

" **Sorry…"** He said, rather quietly before rushing towards the exit and out of the house. Pan quickly chased after her boyfriend.

Noca got outside and walked to the curb and stood there with his head in his hands, finding it hard to shake whatever problems he felt in his head. Pan exited the building and walked down the steps, fast approaching Noca. She wasn't about to give him space.

" **What the fuck was that about?"** Pan asked, sounding very angry with him. Noca looked at her slowly and couldn't find any words. **"Why did you have to come and wreck my night? We were just having fun…"**

" **Sorry…"** Noca said again, **"I don't know what came over me…"**

Noca clenched his fist, cracking his knuckles in the process. His breathing was getting heavier and there was clearly something wrong. Pan noticed this and she even started to feel the emotions within him. Those… instincts, but it was a little different. No. These weren't Noca's instincts she could feel. They were her own…

Pan took a hold of Noca's hand and stood close to him.

" **You need to calm down,"** She said in a soothing tone, almost a whisper. Noca closed his eyes and took a breath. He turned to look his girlfriend in the eyes. The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Noca still feels his instincts fuelling inside of his head. He shook it again and then pulled his hand away.

" **You go enjoy your party… I'll just go home,"** Noca said, about to turn around and go. Pan moved quickly to stop this. She put both her hands on his head and pulled herself up to plant a kiss on his lips, but it wasn't that simple. The two of them started to make things a little more passionate and heated. Noca forced himself to break the kiss and he could see the confusion on Pan's face.

" **Have you been drinking tonight?"** Noca asked, not sure that Pan would act like this otherwise. Pan shook her head.

" **I had a couple before coming out, but not since I got here… why?"** She questioned. Noca wasn't sure if she was telling the truth, but it didn't feel like she was lying. Using his senses, he could tell that she certainly wasn't drunk. This only begged more questions.

Pan kept her hands on Noca's head and smiled at him.

" **I just… really wanted to kiss you,"** Pan said as she pushed in for another one. Noca pulled back, just a second. He tried to get his bearings and make better sense of the scenario. He took a glance at Pan and finally had a chance to drink in how she looked. Her hair was down, she was wearing a little bit of make-up, and the outfit she had on… a dark blue dress that was cut in a V-shape, showing some cleavage, and it stopped a little above the knee.

Noca swallowed as he kept his eyes on her body. Pan noticed and smirked to herself, she liked it. Noca shook his head again and looked away into the distance. He didn't understand the situation, he had no idea what was going on… and neither did Pan.

Noca glanced back at her and saw the look on her face. A look he had never seen before. Something… almost… seductive?

" **I'll stay for a little bit. You enjoy the party, I'll just hang with Dom,"** Noca said, smiling at her. Right now, all he could feel were some urges that had never been within his mind before tonight. At least, they had never mattered to him before. Pan moved in for another kiss and this time Noca placed a hand on her waist and found that he wanted to wander, but soon felt Pan's hand touch his. She pulled away and quickly pecked him on the lips one last time before turning away and walking back into the party.

Noca watched her walk away and smiled to himself, but he still wasn't a hundred percent sure on what was going on… or what would even happen when the two of them got home. But he was ready to go with it.

There were no more distractions at the party and Noca stayed with Dom just like he said he would, but when it was time to go he and Pan both wanted to get home quickly, but Noca had to admit to himself that he was a little nervous. He still wasn't sure why.

When they got back to the house both of them made their way to bed, but before he had a chance to enter his room Noca was stopped by Pan taking a hold of his hand. Noca slowly looked up into her eyes and saw that alluring expression. She leant in close and whispered to him, **"Stay with me tonight."**

She pulled away and started to walk towards her room. Noca just let her guide him. He still didn't have a clue what would happen, but he knew it would be something… interesting. As soon as they entered, Pan closed the door as Noca stood there. He didn't know what to do. His nerves were starting to get to him, but he could also feel his instinct starting to kick in.

Pan put both her hands on Noca's chest and grabbed onto his shirt, pulling him towards her and planting her lips on his. Noca could feel that she was starting to take control, but his instincts weren't having any of that. He placed his left hand on her waist and his right went to her face as he started to take control of the kiss. It started to become more passionate and heated as they moved towards the bed.

Even though Noca felt some control, it was still Pan pulling him towards the bed. She lay back down on the covers and pulled Noca down with her. The young man broke the kiss for a second and looked into his girlfriend's lustful eyes.

" **What's going on?"** He asked, sounding a little worried. Pan giggled lightly and kiss him again.

" **This feels right… doesn't it?"** She said in a questioning manner before continuing the passionate kissing, not giving Noca a chance to reply. He still wasn't sure of himself, but that wasn't stopping him now. Noca moved his right hand down from her face towards her shoulder and his left hand started to move under her dress and towards her breasts.

Before tonight he had only ever seen Pan's breasts by accident, but this was truly the first time he was getting to touch them. Something inside his head was thrilled to be doing this, but the other part (the Saiyan part) was telling him that the best was yet to come.

As Noca started to do more with his hands Pan decided she would do more with hers. She found herself moving a hand down the front of Noca's body towards his crotch while the other was under his shirt, on his back. She was tracing shapes on his hardened back with her nails and could definitely feel the reactions from Noca as he trembled slightly, but that was just the reaction that Noca was getting from Pan when his hand finally reached her breasts.

It was strange, but it felt so right. Pan's hand reached its destination and Pan started to to have a feel on the outside of his trousers. Noca bucked slightly and that managed to earn a smile from the young woman. Noca could feel the smile as they were still kissing and that's when he finally moved up and took a breath. He looked down at the beauty in front of him. Because of where his arm had been, up her dress, it had been lifted up slightly and Noca could see the bottom half of her stomach and her underwear.

He took a heavy breath and could feel himself getting more excited, but logic burst into his head once more and he looked into Pan's eyes. Noca took his shirt off, basically ripping it from his body. Pan giggled at this and was happy to get a look at his hard, sculpted body. Noca then removed Pan's dress and smirked. The girl quickly removed her bra and threw it to the side, letting Noca look down upon her almost completely naked body. There was only some underwear in the way.

Pan sat up and put her arms around Noca's neck and pulled him into another kiss, touching her bare breasts to his bare chest. It was strange feeling that excited both of them. Noca pushed down as they went back to laying on the bed once more.

Noca broke the kiss and started to kiss all the way down her body, between her breasts and down past her navel, down to that area between her thighs, but that's where he stopped. He looked up at his girlfriend and their eyes met again. Noca sat up and looked down, again.

" **Are you sure you want this?"** Noca asked, being very serious right now. His instincts wanted him to carry on, but Noca managed to push them down and control the situation. Pan smiled.

" **Yes… I do."**

* * *

 _Yeah, so I know people may not be entirely pleased with the place I decided to end it, but this is the chapter that convinced me to update the story to an M rating. At first I didn't think I would write content worthy of an M, but I did intend to include something a little more detailed or graphic. I'm happy that I didn't and I think the subtle way it ends is a good idea._

 _But either way, let me hear your reviews! I'm a bit let down that the previous chapter didn't receive any, but I hope to see some familiar names show up this time._

 _Thanks for reading._

 _Next Time... Chapter 17: Fracture_


	17. Arc V: Fracture

_So, before you read this... I just want to say that I know the ending of the last chapter possibly hints at more mature content, more regularly, but I have to admit that was it. I don't have anything else planned right now, although I will admit there may be some more content that can be considered 'smutty' but let's just say it is not an area I will be overly comfortable writing about, at this moment in time. That's why I'm easing into that content. Maybe some of you will be disappointed to hear that, but this is my story and I know how best to write it. Thank you. Enjoy._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 17: Fracture**_

 _Sunday 8_ _th_ _November Age 795_

The sun rose behind the dark clouds that loomed in the sky. A cool breeze swept through the window catching onto Noca's skin and waking him up. He slowly sat up out of the bed and looked to see that both the window and curtain had been left open, but only a little. It took him a minute to realise why he was laying in Pan's bed… naked. He looked next to him and saw that Pan was laying very close to him, asleep.

A small smile crept across his face as he brushed the hair away from hers. She started to move a little and stretched as her eyes slowly opened. She looked up at Noca and smiled.

" **Good morning,"** She said, yawning. She sat up and gave Noca a quick kiss on the lips. The two of them stared at each other for a second, both smiling, but unsure of what should be said. The tension was soon broken by a soft giggle from the raven-haired girl. Noca's brow furrowed.

" **What's funny?"** He asked. Pan shook her head and cleared her throat.

" **Nothing… just…"** She paused, gripped the duvet tightly and looked back into Noca's eyes, **"I can't quite believe we did it."**

Noca chuckled, **"I guess it's a lot to take in, but… you enjoyed it… right?"**

Pan nodded, **"Oh yeah, it was lovely. Everything I expected for my first time."** She leant in a started to kiss him again, but quickly stopped it. **"We didn't use any protection."**

Both of them stared at each other again, but this time neither of them was smiling. They weren't exactly scared about anything, but it was a lot to think about.

" **Well… uh, we're both Saiyans…"** Noca started, trying to think of something, **"I'm sure we're different, in some way?"**

Pan shot Noca a look that told him she wasn't impressed. Noca just shrugged.

" **I don't know… let's talk to Vegeta?"** Noca suggested, still questioning that idea. Pan sighed, slowly getting out of bed, putting on some nightwear and heading to the bathroom. She locked the door behind her and leant on the sink, looking into the mirror. Even though there was this new worry to think about, she couldn't help but smile.

Noca left her to do what she needed and went back to his own bedroom to get showered and dressed. He was ready much earlier than Pan and told her that he would talk to Vegeta alone. She was ok with this as she wasn't very fond on talking to Vegeta about her blossoming sex-life.

When Noca arrived at Capsule Corp. he immediately went to the GR, as he could sense that Vegeta was already down there, training as always. Noca entered, unannounced and cleared his throat to get the Prince's attention. Vegeta stopped and slowly turned around to face Noca.

" **You better have a damn good reason for interrupting me,"** Vegeta stated, believing that Noca knew better. Noca smirked.

" **I guess you could say it's important,"** Noca responded, **"Actually, it's very important."**

" **Go on,"** Vegeta said as he grabbed his bottle and took a drink. Noca walked forward and stood next to Vegeta. Before speaking he thought about how someone would typically go to their father to talk about these things. Unfortunately, Noca's father was dead and not a Saiyan, so he wouldn't have the answers, but Vegeta was a good enough father figure for this conversation.

" **I'm just gonna say it, Pan and I had sex last night,"** Noca said. He turned to look at Vegeta's reaction. There was a smirk on his face… a proud smirk. Vegeta patted Noca on the back and laughed.

" **That's great, now you're becoming a man,"** Vegeta said, laughing some more. Noca chuckled and stepped back a little.

" **Let's not go too far, I just need to ask a question,"** Noca said, Vegeta stopped laughing and motioned for him to go ahead. **"We didn't protection… and we wanna know if Saiyans are… different, to humans in that regard?"**

" **Yes, but only slightly,"** Vegeta started, **"You see, the first time a Saiyan couple mates will always be on the night of a full moon, and after that first time offspring can only be conceived when there is a full moon."**

" **Right… so, we're not gonna have a baby?"** Noca asked.

" **Correct."**

" **And… when will we know… there's a full moon?"** Noca asked.

" **You won't,"** Vegeta replied. Noca sighed, **"You'll just have to keep an eye out."**

Noca nodded and turned around, **"That's all ok, I guess. I just need to get back and tell Pan."**

The teen started to head towards the door, but all of a sudden Vegeta threw a Ki blast towards the young man. Noca sensed it just in time and quickly flipped away to avoid being hit. He turned around and shot towards Vegeta, attempting to smash a fist against his head, but the Prince caught it. Vegeta chuckled to himself and pushed Noca back.

" **You've been slacking a little, we'll spar now!"** Vegeta told him. Noca sighed and flashed Super Saiyan.

" **Fine…"** Noca was serious, he would rather be spending time with Pan so he wasn't going to go easy on the Prince.

* * *

 _Tuesday_ _1_ _st_ _December Age 795_

After the weekend fun, both Noca and Pan had to get back to their regular schedules. This meant Noca had to go in for work, while Pan had college with Bra and Dom. This wasn't ideal for either of them as they wanted to spend more time together, but it couldn't be helped. In fact, Noca and Pan hadn't spoken to each other properly since Sunday evening. Noca got back from Capsule Corp. and told her the good news about the full moon/ Saiyan breeding thing, but by then it was rather late and both of them went to their own bedrooms.

A couple of weeks passed by and they were no less busy than the previous ones. Both Noca and Pan had things to be doing. Noca, of course, had to work. Even though he didn't work too much and always made sure to make time for Pan, it wasn't always the same on her end. She was far too busy with College work and Noca didn't want to interrupt that. He knew the importance of her work, but he still sort of resented the fact that it took up too much of her time.

Although, there was one time where the two of them actually got to spend a little time together, but it was with the rest of their friends and some family. That was Bra's birthday. Her 17th birthday. They had a mini party, but nothing too extravagant. They had too much revision to do for Exams and even had assignments. So they agreed to have a bigger party when Pan's birthday rolled around.

All of this still meant that Noca and Pan hardly got any time together and it was beginning to frustrate Noca a lot of the time.

This meant Noca was not having the best of time at work. He was not in a good mood. In fact, he was pretty angry. This was shown when Noca decided to throw something across the warehouse, causing it to smash against the wall. It certainly drew the attentions of his co-workers, but none of them dared to say anything. Noca didn't even pay them any attention. He just took deep breaths to try and calm himself, but he couldn't quite explain where the anger was coming from.

He walked away from his duties and decided to take his break on his own terms. He sat in the staff room, alone, contemplating things that had been going on. But he wasn't alone for very long. After being told about Noca's outburst, Alice had come for her break and intended to speak with Noca.

She sat ahead of him and waited to say something, not knowing if she had a place to speak. Noca didn't acknowledge her presence for a few minutes and Alice considered leaving him to his thoughts. She started to move out of her chair.

" **Don't,"** Noca said, softly. He still didn't look up at her.

" **Are you ok?"** She asked. It was a stupid question. Clearly he wasn't, but what else could she say.

" **Things are just… difficult… with Pan,"** Noca said, finally looking up at Alice. **"Nothing too big, or damaging… there's just a lack of time in our relationship."**

Alice nodded along, just showing that she was understanding and listening.

" **We're both very busy at the moment and we hardly see each other,"** Noca said. Alice knew about these thoughts Noca had after previous conversations, but she didn't know it got to him this much. Alice was about to say something, but Noca looked up at her again. **"Sorry, I shouldn't keep telling you about my stupid problems."**

" **What? No, it's fine,"** Alice said, quickly **, "It's good to have an outside opinion. I sort of had the same problem with a previous boyfriend… only, he just didn't make the time for me."**

Noca nodded and smirked.

" **Why don't you text or ring her now?"** Alice suggested, **"Ask if she wants to meet you for lunch or something…"**

Noca raised an eyebrow and started to ponder that suggestion. It was a good idea. At least it would show he was thinking about her. Noca nodded to Alice and got out his phone. He quickly typed the text.

" _Hey, wanna meet for lunch in a bit?"_ Noca asked in his text.

He sent it and awaited a reply. Luckily, he got one very quickly.

" _Maybe. What time do you finish work?"_ Was Pan's reply.

" _3pm today."_ Noca sent.

" _Can we make it a late lunch then, meet us after you finish?"_ The reply came. Noca's brow furrowed.

" _Us?"_ Noca replied.

" _Yeah. We're having a study session after college, gonna have lunch first."_ Pan sent. Noca wasn't exactly happy about this but he sighed and replied.

" _Fine. I wanted it to be just us two, but that's ok I guess."_ Noca sent back.

" _Great! See ya later then. Love you."_ Pan replied. Noca just stared at his phone for a second, but he shook his head and sent his reply.

" _Love you too."_

He put his phone back in his pocket and stood up. Alice looked at him with a questioning expression.

" **We're meeting after I finish here,"** Noca told the girl.

" **That's good,"** Alice said, standing up and smiling. Noca put a finger up to stop her there.

" **Me, her… and the others,"** Noca elaborated. Clearly not feeling quite so happy about that. **"But that's fine. At least I get to spend some time with her."**

" **Yeah, look at the positives,"** Alice said, again smiling. Noca looked to her and smiled, but he had to force it. He decided it would be best that he went back to work so he could get out on time and meet Pan straight away.

Noca finished his shift and went to meet Pan at Capsule Corp. He didn't bother to change into any different clothes as it would just be easier to do that once he got back to the compound. Having to fly from Satan City was a bit annoying, but Noca was happy to be spending some time with Pan and flew there at top speed, even powering up to his top base form to get there.

Noca touched down inside the compound and went straight through the door to the house. He knew that Pan would be sitting in the living room with the others, so that's where he went. When he entered the room though, he was surprised to see that Pan was with more than just Bra and Dom. There were three people that he hadn't met before. Noca stood there with half a raised eyebrow and tilted his head a little.

" **Hey, Noca,"** Dom greeted, being the first to notice him enter. Pan turned to look at him and stood up smiling.

" **Hi, sorry, didn't realise you would get here that quickly,"** Pan said, walking up to him, hugging him and placing a kiss on his cheek. Noca still didn't react properly.

" **Yeah, who are these guys?"** Noca asked, nicely. He didn't want to sound like a dick.

" **Oh yeah, crap, you guys haven't met before,"** Pan said, pointing at her friends and introducing them to Noca one by one. She pointed at a brown haired guy sat next to Dom, **"That's Tommy, he's on Bra's and Dom's course."** She then pointed at the next guy, a fair haired guy, **"That's James, and that's Lisa,"** Pan finished as she pointed at the girl next to James, she was a brunette.

Noca gave them a little wave, a smile, and a simple **"Hello."** They said hello back to him and then Noca turned to Pan. **"So, are we going to lunch then?"**

" **I thought we could just have lunch here?"** Pan suggested, Noca gave her a questioning look. **"Well, we have lots of studying to do and it's just easier."**

" **But… I thought you said you would all be studying after lunch…"** Noca said, getting a little bit annoyed, but trying to keep a lid on it.

" **Well, we are, but we thought it best to get started right away,"** Pan replied. Noca could hear the defensive tone in her voice and knew that if he said the wrong thing then it might start an argument. He thought it best to just agree with what she was saying.

" **Ok, fine,"** He said simply before sitting down on the armchair. He didn't even sit next to Pan. The girl didn't think anything of it as she returned to her work while the service-robots would prepare their lunch.

Noca felt like he lost his appetite and just sat there staring into the distance as Pan and her friends all talked to each other. Noca didn't really say anything, but he was nodding along. Only half an hour had passed before Vegeta was walking through to go to his GR and noticed that Noca didn't look as if he was having a particularly good time.

" **You,"** Vegeta called out, grabbing everyone's attention. He then pointed at Noca, so everyone turned to look at him. **"We're training… Now."**

Noca looked at the group and back to Vegeta. He breathed a short sigh and nodded. He stood up, smiled at Pan as he walked by and followed Vegeta down to the GR.

" **What's wrong with you?"** Vegeta asked, but not in a caring tone.

" **Nothing,"** Noca answered, bluntly. Vegeta smirked as he closed the GR door behind them.

" **Good, no talking. We'll just train."**

Vegeta flashed Super Saiyan and didn't waste time. He shot towards Noca and aimed a fist towards the teen's head. Noca didn't react quick enough and was smashed back towards the GR wall. He hit hard and slid down to the ground. Vegeta dropped in front of him and grabbed the teen by the leg. He swung Noca over towards the other side of the GR and threw a Ki blast at him. The blast exploded and filled the air around Noca with a little smoke.

From within the smoke there was a flash of golden night and Noca went Super Saiyan. The smoke dissipated as Noca shot forward at Vegeta. The teen dropped in and aimed his fist for Vegeta, but the Prince turned to away to the left to avoid Noca's attack. The teen landed on the ground and quickly spun around, kicking out at Vegeta and catching him in the gut. The Prince stumbled back as Noca sprung up and sent his head crashing into Vegeta's face. He was sent stumbling back again as Noca moved forward and sent a jab into the Prince's nose.

Vegeta stumbled once more and then fell to a knee, laughing.

" **That's some angry fighting there,"** the Prince muttered, slowly standing up again. **"Something has really pissed you off."**

" **Shut up,"** Noca uttered. He flashed again, going Super Saiyan 2 and charged forward once more. Vegeta wasn't given a chance to power up again. Noca kicked Vegeta in the stomach… hard. And as the Prince bent down in pain Noca sent an elbow crashing down into the top of his head. Vegeta was on the ground, but as Noca went to kick him the Prince rolled away.

Vegeta jumped up to his feet and threw a barrage of Ki blasts in Noca's direction. The light and smoke started to fill the GR and cloud Vegeta's vision. So he was unaware that Noca had phased out of that predicament and flew in to attack from Vegeta's right. The Prince only became aware at the last second, when Noca was already too close. He smashed a powerful kick into Vegeta's back and that caused him to arc in pain. But he was quick to react this time. He spun around and kicked Noca in the ribs and blasted him away at point blank.

Noca soared back through the GR and smashed into the wall.

" **You're too unfocused and overconfident right now,"** Vegeta said, dusting himself off as he walked towards Noca. **"Sometimes that can work to your advantage, but right now it's making all your movements sloppy and rushed."**

Noca slowly stood up and leant back against the wall. He was breathing heavily as he dropped down to his Full Powered Super Saiyan state.

" **You're not training enough as a Super Saiyan 2,"** Vegeta told Noca, **"You're finding it harder to sustain."**

Noca snapped to look at Vegeta, still breathing heavily, **"I'm fine. I've never been stronger!"**

" **But you could be stronger,"** Vegeta responded.

Noca looked down to the ground as his breathing levelled out. He nodded and looked off to the side, thinking. **"We need to go to space… soon."**

The teen looked back at Vegeta and the Prince could sense the seriousness and a returning focus. Vegeta nodded and smirked. **"As soon as you're ready."**

Both stood looking at each other and at the exact same time they both ascended to Super Saiyan 2. Their training session wasn't over just yet.

The session finished after about two hours, but by that time Noca hoped that Pan would be finished with her study session. He walked upstairs to the living room and entered to see that they were still sitting there with their books open and on their laptops. Noca glanced around the room and cleared his throat to alert them to his presence.

Pan sat up and smiled at her boyfriend, **"How was training?"** She asked. Noca nodded.

" **It was good… aren't you guys finished yet?"** Noca asked, sounding a bit perplexed, but also annoyed. Pan noticed the tone in his voice. She put her laptop to the side and walked over to have a chat with him.

" **What's wrong?"** She asked in a low tone, trying not to let anyone else hear their conversation.

" **Come to dinner with me?"** Noca completely bypassed what Pan had said to him and asked his question. **"Please. Just the two of us. I wanna take you out."**

" **I wish I could, I'm gonna be busy with my assignment all night, plus I still need to read the next chapter in the book,"** Pan explained. It was a valid reason and Noca knew this. Part of him accepted it, but that wasn't the part that answered.

" **Come on, we need to start spending some more time together,"** Noca said, getting a bit louder, but not quite raising his voice.

" **We will, once all this work dies down,"** Pan said to him. She put a hand on his face and smiled. Noca let a quick, but weak, smile cross his face, but then he walked away.

" **I'm gonna head home, I'll see you back there later,"** He said, smiling weakly again. He turned to the others. **"It was night meeting you guys. Bra, Dom, I'll see you soon."**

Noca walked out of the door and Pan followed him shortly. Once she was out of the room she decided to speak up for Noca to hear.

" **Can I get a kiss?"**

Noca stopped walking and stalled for a second, but didn't want Pan to think anything else was wrong. He turned around and walked back to her. He put his hands on her face and pulled her in for a kiss, but not just any old kiss. It was an open-mouthed kiss and it was all Noca could think of doing right now. Pan took a moment to sink into this feeling and let Noca hold her. He broke the kiss and walked away again.

Pan was speechless for a second, but then thought of something to say, **"I love you!"**

Noca looked back and smiled weakly again, then left the building. He got outside and took a very deep breath before walking off into the city, not interested in heading back home just yet.

He didn't get too far into the city though. Once he hit the park Noca decided to take a seat and just look at the water. He was feeling quite angry about what was going on and was starting to build some sort of resentment towards Pan, but he kept trying to shake those feelings off. They were stupid and unwarranted. He put his head in his hands and sat there for a few minutes.

Noca was drifting into his own little world until his phone vibrated in his pocket. The teen looked up and reached for his phone. He opened the message. It was from Alice. Noca didn't look at the message right away and just stared at the phone. He took a breath and looked around, for some reason.

" _Yo, how's it going with Pan?"_ Read Alice's text.

Noca wasn't sure how to reply. Part of him wanted to just lie. Say that things were ok and then just go home, but then again…

" _Not well. She's too busy."_ Noca replied, but didn't put his phone away. He watched as the phone said 'seen' and then saw the icon come up to show that Alice was typing.

" _That's sucks! Where are you now?"_ Alice asked.

" _Just sat in the park."_ Noca sent back. The same icons appeared on his screen and then came the reply. A reply that had Noca thinking.

" _Do you want to come over for a drink?"_ Alice asked. Noca didn't know what to say. He stared at his phone. At the message and had his thumb already over the letter 'N' ready to reject the offer. But did he want to reject it? He was only planning to spend his night alone, either in the park or at home, but he actually had an opportunity to do something.

" _Ok."_ Noca replied. He didn't know what else to say. He didn't really know what he was doing, but at least he wouldn't be alone all night. Alice sent him the address and he started to make his way there. Flying, of course.

Noca landed outside her apartment building and pressed the buzzer. A few seconds later her voice came on the other end.

" **Hello,"** She greeted.

" **It's Noca,"** The Saiyan replied, feeling rather nervous. He heard the buzzer go as the door unlocked and he was able to walk in. He slowly made his way up the stairs to her apartment and saw her waiting at the door to let him in. She had a smile on her face.

" **You ok?"** She asked as she let him in.

" **I guess,"** Noca replied, his nerves not calming just yet. She motioned for him to take a seat and he did. He sat with his hands in his lap, silently. Alice quickly went to the kitchen and came back offering him a drink.

" **Want a soda?"** She asked, holding a bottle out for the boy. Noca looked at it, then at her. He smiled and accepted it, saying thank you. Alice sat beside him and noticed that he wasn't in a good state of mind. It even seemed like Alice was nervous to talk to him right now. Noca took a sip of the drink and set it down on a coaster. **"Do you want to talk about it?"**

Noca turned and looked at her. She definitely seemed genuinely concerned. Noca smiled weakly and looked down to the ground. He still felt too nervous and wasn't sure he really wanted to talk about it. That's when Alice stood up and walked over to get her laptop.

" **We'll get some food and watch a movie,"** She suggested, not even letting Noca give her an answer. She smiled at him as she sat back down and turned on her laptop. Noca smiled back weakly again and took his jacket off, starting to feel a little more relaxed.

Time passed by and their food arrived and Alice put a film on. Noca was certainly easing into the situation and was feeling better about talking now. The film was pretty much being ignored and once they finished their food Alice decided to try and get him to talk about what was on his mind again.

" **So, you wanna talk about it now?"** She asked. Noca looked up at her and his smile faded. He took a breath and turned in the chair.

" **I feel like we're drifting,"** Noca started, **"I understand that she's very busy, and I have work, but I feel like we just don't get any time together anymore."**

Alice nodded to show she understand, but didn't say anything, seeing that Noca certainly had more he wanted to say. He cleared his throat.

" **I'm not sure if she notices just how much this is affecting me. I don't know if… if she cares,"** Noca said, but his brow was furrowed as he spoke, as if he didn't believe what he was saying. **"The last few weeks have been very difficult."**

Meanwhile, back in West City, Pan was still studying with the group, but they had all taken a quick break and Pan had a chance to talk with Bra.

" **I don't know why Noca didn't stay here and sit with us,"** Bra mentioned, **"It's always weird not having him study with us anymore."**

Pan just shrugged her shoulders and sat back.

" **It probably just bores him,"** Pan suggested. Bra scoffed and chuckled a little.

" **I don't think so. You could be studying anything and he would always want to sit with you and help as best he could,"** Bra explained. **"He just wants to spend time with you. Just you."**

Pan looked at Bra and then away. She started to think on it and it was true that he was always asking to spend time with her. Pan still didn't believe he would want to sit there when she was studying.

Dom took a chance to interject, in Noca's defence.

" **He wouldn't want me saying this, but recently Noca's been feeling just a little bit neglected,"** Dom explained, **"He talks about it quite a bit. Maybe just have a little chat with him about it?"**

Pan took in Dom's suggestion and pondered it. She thought about ringing him, but she needed to focus on this studying while she was in that mind set.

" **I'll talk to him tomorrow morning, definitely,"** Pan said to the others. They both smiled and said that it would be a good idea.

Back at Alice's, she and Noca were still chatting about his recent problems with Pan. Alice was getting to a point where she believed that she was understanding the situation completely and knew what to say to make Noca feel better. She took a chance.

" **Maybe Pan doesn't full appreciate you,"** Alice suggested. This certainly caused Noca to stop and take a moment to think. But he really didn't accept that idea. **"People change…"** Alice followed-up.

Noca shook his head. **"I just don't believe Pan's like that."**

Alice sat closer to him, **"It can happen, it can always be a hard thing to deal with."** She said, trying to be as comforting as possible.

" **That's be possible. Not after everything we've been through,"** Noca explained, never wanting to accept what Alice suggested. **"There's too much history…"**

These thoughts were certainly upsetting Noca and Alice could notice that. She quickly put her arms around him and hugged the teen, but Noca didn't react to it. It certainly felt out of his comfort zone. Alice pulled out of the hug and Noca looked at her. Still wearing a questioning expression, but with a whole lot more confusion after that hug. Alice didn't think about what to do next, but she leant forward and planted her lips on his.

It was only quick, but Noca was unsure of how to react to this strange outcome. He pulled his head away and stared at her. He was feeling far more confused right now and there were no words coming to his mind. Alice placed a hand on Noca's leg and moved in closer again. She leant her head in and kissed him again, but this time she was trying to take it further and Noca could feel her tongue trying to get involved.

This was when Noca finally snapped back to reality. He pulled out of the kiss and stood up, realising what had just happened.

" **I shouldn't have let you do that…"** Noca muttered as he walked over to the window. Alice remained in her seat, but she was very shocked.

" **I can't believe I did that…"** Alice mumbled to herself. She quickly stood up and apologised to Noca. He didn't turn around and look at her though. He continued to stare out of the window, still sinking back into the real world. **"Fuck!"** She cursed, putting her head in her hands, **"You have a girlfriend… I shouldn't be doing this."**

Noca didn't know what to do. All he could think about right now was how Pan would feel, and that hurt.

" **I'm sorry, Noca. This is all my fault, I never meant for it to happen,"** Alice tried explaining. She was clearly very embarrassed with herself. Noca turned around, grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

" **I have to go,"** He said, not looking at Alice or even bothering to say goodbye. He was out of the door quickly, and Alice understood.

Noca made it outside of the building and had to stop. He bent over putting his hands on his knees and found himself breathing very heavily. He wasn't sure how this had happened, but all he knew was that it was bad. He regained his composure, cracked his neck and flew off home as quickly as possible.

When he arrived back at the house he headed inside quickly, and spent a little time in his own room before heading to Pan's room. He would wait for her to get home… and then they would talk. It wasn't going to be a great conversation, but Noca had to talk to her now.

Noca sat in her room with the light on so that she would know he was in there once she returned. It was around 10pm by the time she got back, but she entered her room and a smile appeared on her face once she saw Noca was sitting there and that only hurt him more.

" **Sorry I'm late, and sorry that I didn't come to dinner with you,"** Pan said as she put her bag on the floor and was about to walk over and hug him. Noca put his hand up to stop her and slowly stood up.

" **I'm the one that needs to apologise,"** Noca started, swallowing hard and looking to the ground. He found it too hard to look her in the eyes. Pan scoffed at what he said and walked over to her bed.

" **What are you on about?"** She asked, sitting down. Noca turned around slowly.

" **I'll have to explain everything,"** Noca cleared his throat, **"I work with Alice. Chloe's friend from school."** Noca paused and Pan thought that was it and seemed amused, but Noca continued. **"And we've spoken a lot, mainly in breaks. But I was invited to her apartment tonight… and I went."** Noca paused again, starting to get nervous. He was happy that Pan didn't interrupt him.

" **I thought it was just gonna be drinks, talking… and a film, but…"** Noca stopped again, took a breath and looked away. **"She kissed me. I didn't stop it right away. I was confused and I didn't know what was going on."** Noca cleared his throat and swallowed again. **"I was feeling very neglected and the whole time I was there with her… I couldn't stop feeling guilty."**

Noca stopped talking. He had nothing else to say and he waited to see what Pan would say on the matter. She just sat there with he hands on her knees and didn't seem to want to say anything. She was looking down and Noca couldn't tell how she was feeling, but he knew it wasn't good. He kept his eyes focussed on her as she clenched her hands into fists, stood up, enraged, and started hitting him in the chest.

Noca didn't even bother to stop her. He knew what had happened was bad and he knew that Pan would have a lot of anger to get out now. **"How could you?!"** Pan yelled, crying and continuously smacking at his chest. Pan eventually stops and falls against his chest, crying. Noca didn't know what to do. He slowly lifted a hand and tried to put it on her back, but before it even touched Pan backed away and pointed to her door.

" **Get the fuck out,"** She said, through holding back tears. Noca didn't want that. He took a step forward and Pan pushed back on him. **"Get out!"** She screamed back. Noca still didn't move. He stood still and looked down at the ground. He went to walk forward again and tried to talk, but Pan rushed forward and started to punch at his chest again shouting for him to 'get out' and still crying. As she continued to hit him her attacks were getting harder and Noca was starting to get worked up.

" **Pan, stop,"** Noca said weakly, but she didn't.

" **Get out,"** she said, again. She continued to hit him harder, and harder. She was about to hit him in the face, but Noca caught her fist.

" **Stop!"** Noca said, catching the fist. As he did there was a flow of energy from Pan and she was seething with anger now.

Pan looked up into Noca's eyes and there was not an ounce of forgiveness in her eyes. **"Get… out."**

Noca stood there, looking at her and he let go of her hand and walked to the door. He stopped after opening it and stood there for a second. He felt really bad and wasn't sure what he could do to change things. To fix things. Noca took a breath.

" **I know you feel betrayed. Angry. But I am truly sorry about this. I am,"** Noca said. He looked over his shoulder, but he wasn't going to attempt talking to her again tonight. He didn't want to make things worse. Time would do them both good, and time is what he would give her. He stepped out into the hallway and Pan instantly rushed to the door, slamming it.

Once the door was closed she turned around and fell against the door, sliding to the floor, crying. Noca could hear it, but he knew he had to leave her to it. He couldn't do anything to fix this right now. He sighed and walked off, heading to his room and grabbing a backpack he had prepared shortly before Pan got home. He knew where he was going.

He passed by Gohan and Videl on his way out of the house, but had nothing to say to them. He just nodded and walked out. Neither of them knew what was going on, but they would probably get some answers from Pan. Eventually.

Noca got outside and flew right to Capsule Corp.

Upon his arrival he walked in through the front door and made his way right down to the Gravity Room. Noca burst in, taking Vegeta by surprise and walked right up to the Saiyan Prince. Vegeta stopped moving and stood with his back to the teen.

" **We're going to space…"** Noca said in a commanding tone. Vegeta turned his head to the right, looking over his shoulder slightly. **"As soon as possible."**

Vegeta slowly turned around, chuckling lightly.

" **Are we really?"** Vegeta questioned, looking the teen in the eyes. He could tell that Noca was absolutely serious, but there was something else wrong. Vegeta wanted to press the issue, but Noca didn't look in a talkative mood. **"Fine, we'll go."**

Vegeta pushed past Noca and exited the GR. The teen followed. They walked upstairs to the Lab, where Bulma was, and entered. Bulma was surprised to see that Noca was there, but didn't question it. She was more confused as to why they had bothered to come here in the first place.

" **What did you break?"** Bulma asked, specifically at Vegeta.

" **Nothing. We need the ship ready,"** Vegeta requested. Bulma sighed and got up out of her chair.

" **Can't give me any heads up in future?"** Bulma said, moving over to another desk. She started to rumble through a drawer, looking for something. Eventually she found it. A Capsule. She turned to look at the guys again. **"You'll need to give me time to make sure there is enough fuel and supplies on-board. And I'll be doing a full check."**

" **How long will that take?"** Noca asked.

Bulma pressed the Capsule top and threw it, the ship filled up a large part of the lab, but luckily there was enough of an open space for it. **"It won't take too long, Noca. Don't worry. Also, do you remember the glass I had you test?"** Noca nodded a confirmation, Bulma continued. **"Well, I had it used for almost all glass items on-board that ship, so it will be pretty unbreakable."**

Noca nodded as he was impressed to hear that, but he still had the thoughts of what had happened in the back of his head so his mood hadn't improved.

" **I'm gonna go chill out before we leave then. I have something to do,"** Noca said as he walked away. He found a space to sit on his own and made sure to keep away from anywhere in the house that Bra was. He didn't really want to interact with anyone, or have them know that he was leaving today.

Noca sat down in a room, alone, and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. He started to write a letter, it was addressed to Pan.

Some time passed and the ship was nearly ready. Noca's letter was written and he was ready to leave. He only took with him what was absolutely necessary. Noca knew he would be leaving imminently, but he needed this letter to be read by Pan, and only by Pan. He checked his watch for the time. Nearly Midnight. Hopefully Pan would be asleep.

Noca used Instant Transmission and moved to just outside her bedroom. He narrowed his senses to detect any movement or energy within the room. From what he would tell, Pan was asleep. He used Instant Transmission again and dropped the letter on Pan's dresser before leaving the room immediately. He moved back outside the door and waited there for a second, just taking a moment to himself.

Suddenly, there was movement down the hall and Noca was about to move away quickly, but he saw it was only Gohan. He was holding Rei in his arms.

" **Where are you going?"** Gohan asked, not sounding annoyed or angry. Just concerned. Noca looked down and didn't want to say anything to the man. **"I know you and Pan have been through something big, but you'll get through it."**

" **I know, but I need to go… this is the best time,"** Noca moved away from the door and towards Gohan. **"I will be back. I don't know when."**

Noca looked down at Rei, smiling up at the teen. Noca forced a smile across his face and took Rei's hand in his own.

" **Don't worry, you little monster. I'll be back soon,"** Noca said, still wearing the fake smile. Rei let out a little giggle and Noca stepped back. **"Bye, Gohan."**

Gohan nodded as Noca used Instant Transmission once again. He returned to Capsule Corp. just as Vegeta came to inform him that they were ready to go. Noca took a moment to himself and then followed the Prince. Vegeta and Noca boarded the ship, saying a quick goodbye to Bulma and took off for Space, right away.

Noca took a moment to glance back down at the planet as he was leaving, but looked away, knowing that whatever was waiting for him in space would be dangerous, and he would need to be ready. Vegeta looked at Noca and nodded as the two of them sped off into deep space.

Back at the house, Pan felt a something strange happening with Noca's energy. It was moving very, very far away, very quickly. She shot awake and jumped out of bed, looking out of the window. She knew exactly where he was going and she wasn't sure how to feel about it. Pan stepped away from the window and walked towards her door. She wanted to question her parents to see if they knew anything, but stopped when a bit of paper caught her eye.

She picks it up and immediately recognises the handwriting.

 _Pan,_

 _I'm sorry about what happened. It was never my intention to hurt you. Alice and I were just friends and she was the one that made the attempt for something more. I didn't stop her because I was already confused and upset enough. I know it was wrong of me, but as soon as it happened I felt that I had to tell you. I wanted you to know that you are always first in my mind and always will be. I think we need some time to be away from one another, to sort out our minds. I'm going to be in space with Vegeta. I have a mission, a path to follow. I will return as soon as I have found what I need to. As soon as I'm done, I will return to you. I hope you will have forgiven me by then. I love you, Pan. I always will._

 _Noca_

Pan held the letter in her hands and couldn't take her eyes off of it. She could feel the tears coming to her eyes and tried to hold them back. She set the letter down and walked back to the window. She looked up into the sky and let her tears run.

" **I love you too,"** Pan whispered to herself, but she already knew it was too late to do anything else about it.

Meanwhile, Noca and Vegeta had finally got to a stable point in space and their ship was on course. Vegeta stood up out of the pilot's seat and turned on the Gravity. He put it to 150g and said that it would be set to that for the entire time. Noca accepted, but still seemed distant. Vegeta also went on to say that they will stick to their current days, so it is still midnight for them and they should get some sleep. Noca agrees, but before Vegeta goes off he has to ask Noca one more thing.

" **So, where are we going?"** Vegeta asked. Noca looked to him, certainly with a questioning expression.

" **I don't know, I was just told to look for Planet Sadala,"** Noca informed Vegeta. The Prince grunted in annoyance. Noca went to the control panel. **"I'm sure I'll be told what direction, eventually. The Guardian is likely to tell me."**

Vegeta shrugged and walked away to his quarters, leaving Noca along on the bridge area. Noca leant over the control panel and looked out over the darkness of space. He was finally able to drink in the beauty, but he needed to get some sleep. He went off to this own quarters, knowing that Vegeta would start off a rigorous training session as early as the following day.

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed, could say that these three chapters were like a mini-arc before the main focus of this new arc starts, but it was needed to make the next part feel more effective, I believe._

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to reading some reviews! So don't forget to leave one._

 _Next Time... Chapter 18: Hair, Blood, and Alcohol_


	18. Arc V: Hope is All We Have

_Hello, friends. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Yes, it isn't the same title as I said last week, but I didn't really like the old one. This suits a little better._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 18: Hope is All We Have**_

 _Wednesday 2_ _nd_ _December Age 795_

Pan felt awful. She woke up and sat up in her bed, but there was nothing she wanted to do. The only thing that ran through her head was the whole scenario that she had been through with Noca the previous night. No matter how badly she wanted to talk with him and find out more about how he had felt… she knew that chance was gone, for now. Noca had gone to space, and he wouldn't return until he had found whatever it was he went looking for.

Pan knew she couldn't mope around though. She had things to do. She needed to study, and finish off her assignments. Reluctantly, she got up out of bed and readied herself for the day.

She met with Bra and Dom at Capsule Corp. and they all went into college together. In their lunch break Pan explained the entire situation to her friends. They were surprised, but didn't really know how they should react. Pan didn't appear to be too angry with Noca, in fact she seemed rather calm about the whole thing. She just wanted to get on with her day and worry about things once she got some time alone, but there was something on her mind that she knew Bra would maybe understand.

Pan had plenty of time during the day to think about this so she was ready to have that conversation with Bra after College. They were just walking down the street when Pan finally decided to drum up that conversation.

" **Where do you get your hair cut?"** Pan asked her best-friend. Bra was surprised and chuckled a little.

" **I just get it cut at home, one of the bots does it, why?"** Bra asked, a little shocked that Pan was asking this. It had been a very long time since Pan had her hair cut and she had let her mother do it then.

" **I just like changing things a little,"** Pan answered, smirking a little, **"I've been thinking about it for a little bit."**

" **That's cool, you can get it done today if you want?"** Bra suggested. Pan nodded.

" **That's what I was planning,"** Pan replied, smiling back at her friend, **"But I want more than just a little bit. I was thinking of going kinda short with it…"**

" **Short, how short?"** Bra asked. Pan shrugged.

" **I'm not really sure, I have some ideas, but nothing concrete,"** She explained, **"Maybe I'll have more of an idea by the time we get back to yours."**

The trio made it to Capsule Corp. and they were meeting without their other friends today. It was only meant to be a smaller study session anyway. As soon as they got there, Bra was pulling up pictures of what kind of hairstyle Pan should go with and the girl was finding it difficult to decide, but managed to come to some sort of conclusion.

It took some time, but Pan's hair was soon cut and she was very happy with it. Once Bra had helped her style it Pan was feeling quite confident with herself. She had her fringe cut and styled diagonally, to the right. The length at the back came to about midway down her neck. At the sides it was cut around her ears. And finally the top had been styled with hairspray to stick up and go over to the right side. Pan looked completely different with hair this short, but it was something new and she wanted to try it for a while.

" **This is great, I like it,"** Pan said to her friend once it was done. She wore a determined expression and clenched a fist when it was done. **"It's perfect for fighting."**

" **What?"** Bra asked, not fully understanding what Pan meant.

" **You know, shorter hair is better for sparring and training. Doesn't get in the way,"** Pan explained, but Bra still wasn't sure what she was talking about. **"I'm gonna start training with my Dad, I wanna be stronger when Noca gets back. I want to be able to fend for myself better."**

" **But…"** Bra started, wanting to protest, but not really having a reason to. She didn't even have a point to make.

" **I'm sorry, but I can't study tonight. My Dad's home early and I'd rather try and get some training in…"** Pan said before saying goodbye and rushing off home.

Once home, Pan would be faced with the inevitable obstacle of trying to convince her Dad to train her again. It had been a while and she wasn't sure he was big on letting her fight, but since she had managed to prove herself in previous conflicts she was confident.

She arrived home and gingerly entered the kitchen, wanting to show her Mother and Father her haircut, but also being wary about what they might think about it. She slowly entered and although they could sense her entrance, neither of them turned around, but both greeted her. The only reason they turned around was because Rei pointed at her and… well…

" **Pan! Pan hair short!"** Rei called out. Both parents looked at each other, slightly confused and smiled at Rei. They then turned around and noticed Pan's hair was, in fact, short.

" **What did you do to your hair?"** Videl asked, not seeming angry in anyway. Her daughter was 16 after all. She was just shocked.

" **I had one of the Capsule-Bots cut it for me, Bra helped choose the style,"** Pan explained, smiling. She was very happy with her new hair. Videl smiled back at her daughter. She was just happy that her daughter could smile after what had happened the previous night. **"What do you think, Dad?"**

" **It's nice, reminds me of when your Mother cut her hair after meeting me,"** Gohan explained, smirking at his wife. Videl chuckled at the memory. **"Short hair is definitely better for fighters as well, that's why your Mother did it."**

" **Well, since you mentioned it…"** Pan said, easing into the conversation. Gohan set down his Capsule-Tablet and turned around. **"I was wondering if you would train me again?"**

Gohan turned back and looked at Videl. He wasn't entirely sure of what to say to Pan. Videl just shrugged her shoulders to show that the decision was entirely his.

He cleared his throat before saying anything, **"Well, I'm not sure… Noca and Vegeta are at such a level where I'm not sure you'll reach it…"** Gohan tried explaining, but that's not something Pan wanted to hear.

" **What?"** She asked, feeling pretty annoyed with that statement. **"I don't care if they're too out of reach right now, I want to strive to reach that level. I want to do my best. I want to show that I am very well capable of fending for myself!"**

Pan was certainly determined and Gohan could tell. She was serious about doing this, but he wasn't sure she should.

" **You've been so into your studies recently and I don't want to see that falter because of training,"** Gohan explained. Pan growled in anger and slammed her hand on the table.

" **Being so engrossed in my studies is what drove me and Noca apart… it's what made him go off to space… it's what made him… go to her…"** Pan drifted off as she started to upset herself, **"I can't let that happen again. I want to be by Noca's side all the way. I can focus on my studies just fine and whenever we're both available I want to train. I'm not taking no for an answer."**

Gohan looked at her and then turned away. He wasn't sure on this.

" **I don't ever want to see you getting hurt. Noca is strong… Vegeta is strong. When does it ever seem like they need our help?"** Gohan questioned. Pan scoffed at that and took a step back.

" **You do realise that if I'm trained then I won't get hurt. I'll be able to fend for myself… I'll be able to fight off any enemies and I won't have to be constantly protected."** Pan's rant ended and she walked over to the window. She was fed up with people constantly trying to protect her from any sort of dangers. She was perfectly capable of fighting.

Gohan stood up and walked over to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and sighed.

" **If it's really what you want… I guess I can't refuse you,"** Gohan said, **"Find. I'll train you."**

Pan turned around and looked up into her Father's caring eyes. He wasn't smiling, he wore a very serious expression and Pan knew this meant he wasn't going to mess her around. He was prepared to help her out. Pan hugged him.

" **Thanks, Dad."**

After that conversation with her Father, Pan rushed off up to her room and decided to call Bra. She found herself in a rather good mood now. Her hair had been cut and styled in a new and interesting way, and Gohan had agreed to train her. It was only when she spotted Noca's letter that she was finally brought back to reality. She hadn't even started calling Bra and now she didn't feel like she could. Her arms dropped to her sides and her phone fell to the floor.

The girl just stood there staring blankly at the letter before slowly walking over to it and picking it up. She scanned it with her eyes, but found that she couldn't see through her tears. She fell to her knees and punched the floor, creating quite a loud bang. She started crying and couldn't stop herself.

Luckily, Pan started to feel the comfort of someone's arms wrapping her in a hug. Videl had heard Pan's punch and came up to check on her.

" **Please don't cry. You don't understand how difficult it is for a Mother to see her only daughter in pain,"** Videl said, getting slightly choked up. Pan lifted her arms up to hold her Mother's. She embraced the contact and the care that Videl was showing. **"I saw the letter earlier… I don't know exactly what happened with the two of you, but I know you can sort things out."**

" **It's hard, Mom… he hurt me. I don't know if I can trust him,"** Pan said quietly, trying to stop herself from crying anymore.

" **He told you the truth. Sure, he did something possible unforgivable, but his mind was always on you. You know that, Pan."** Videl pulled out of the hug and turned Pan around to face her. She looked into her daughter's eyes. **"You know how much her loves you. You know he would do anything for you. You've hit a rocky patch… but you will definitely get through it, Pan."**

Pan wiped her eyes and looked down.

" **Thanks, Mom…"** Pan wiped her eyes again and then looked back at Videl. **"I really needed to hear that."**

Videl smiled and placed a hand on her daughter's cheek. She gave Pan a quick kiss on the forehead and then left. Pan picked up her phone and put the letter back on her table. She lay on her bed and finally started to call Bra, but right now there was only one person she desperately needed to speak to. Noca. She wanted to hear his voice again… she wanted everything to be ok.

* * *

 _Somewhere in Space – Same Day_

Space was empty. Noca should have expected as much. Looking out of the windows, all he could see was the deep black void that was space. It was hard to consider how much was actually out there, but for someone who was already a quarter of an alien species himself, you'd think it easy to deal with. You would, however, be wrong, in Noca's case that is.

He lay awake in his room wondering what was happening on the Earth in that moment. Also, he was thinking about how far from the Earth he probably was. This spaceship was super advanced and stuff, he didn't really listen to everything Bulma told him, but he knew that science was most certainly involved. The room Noca occupied had pretty much everything he needed. A bed… a bathroom. All of his food was kept in Capsules, as were his clothes. So there wasn't much needed in the room.

Bulma had installed a television with the capabilities to play almost every film released on Earth and Noca could even play video games, but still, all he did was lay on his bed. Wide-awake. Staring at the ceiling. It all felt so peaceful out here, but Noca's mind was not peaceful. His thoughts were plagued by memories of the previous night. The guilt that Noca felt within his heart was terrible. Just seeing the way she had reacted to the information had crushed him. He knows it was all his fault, but he also didn't understand why Pan acted the way she had.

He tried not to think on it, but that proved to be a task of some difficulty. Noca reached over to the bedside table and pulled out a photograph of he and Pan. He held it in his left hand and slowly sat up. The happiness in the photograph was completely opposite of how he felt right now. Noca started to clench his right hand into a fist. His anger boiling up inside.

Noca stood up and walked to the bathroom, leaving the photo behind on the bed. He stepped up to the sink and placed his hands around the edges and bent down. His breathing had increased and his rage was starting to get the better of him. He turned on the tap and splashed water on his face, hoping that could cool him off, but it didn't work. With the tap still running Noca looked up to the mirror and took a deep breath. He looked back at his reflection and really hated what he was looking at.

He glared at himself and clenched his fist again.

" **What are you looking at?"** He asked himself. Noca rapidly punched the glass and felt a pain in his wrist. That's right, Bulma had installed the new glass and had used it for the mirror. Noca didn't care. He punched the glass again, harder, but this time he could feel his knuckles crack. He still didn't care. The Saiyan really wanted to hit that guy in the mirror. The guy that Noca truly wished he had never become. He deserved to be beaten.

Noca punched again and the skin on his knuckled started to open up, and some blood started rising to the surface. Nothing had yet happened to the world's strongest glass. Noca punched again and this time he flashed Super Saiyan as well. When he retracted his fist there was some blood left on the mirror, and it was starting to drip from his hand. Noca's aura started to flare up around him and now Noca started to punch the mirror continuously. Not planning to stop. There were scuffs on the mirror now and plenty of blood sliding down both the mirror and his hand.

Blood had fallen into the sink and even with the tap running it wasn't quite being washed away. Noca's punching was getting faster and harder. He started to scream out as the pain was a lot worse now and he was sure that his hand would be messed up come the end of this, but it still didn't matter to him. With a flash to Super Saiyan 2 and continued punching, Noca finally managed to crack the glass and was making progress…

Until Vegeta came in the pulled him away from the mirror. He threw Noca back into his bedroom and followed in.

" **You're acting like an idiot,"** Vegeta stated. Not sounding annoyed, but there is certainly a disappointment in his tone. Noca looked away and down to his hand, seeing the blood and finally realising what had happened. Vegeta bent down in front of Noca and placed a hand on his shoulder. The Prince still wore that same expression he always did, but this was Vegeta's attempt at comforting Noca. The teen took a couple of breaths and finally dropped to his base form. That was when the stinging pain in his hand started.

Noca winced and held his right hand in his left. He really had been stupid, but there was something that made him feel like he had to do it. He needed to feel that pain and he knew that he had to inflict it on himself. Just like he had hurt Pan.

" **I don't know what happened, and frankly, I don't intend to find out,"** Vegeta said as he stood up again, **"But I can see that you're hurt."**

Noca looked up at Vegeta and saw that the Prince sent a quick glance to the photo on the bed. He knew it had something to do with Pan. Vegeta knew that it was emotional pain and that obviously wasn't his favourite area to discuss.

" **Come with me,"** Vegeta said as he walked to the door.

" **It's not for training, I hope?"** Noca mumbled.

" **Just follow me."**

Vegeta exited the room and Noca gingerly stood up to follow him. He followed Vegeta to the little command room at the front of the ship and Vegeta sat down in one of the two seats. Noca sat in the other one and looked over to the Prince. He wondered why they were here. Vegeta took his gloves off and pressed a couple of things on the controls before standing up and going to get something.

The Prince returned with a bottle, two small glasses and an ice bucket. He set the bottle and glasses down on the desk next to his chair and threw the bucket at Noca.

" **That's for your hand,"** Vegeta said as he proceeded to pour the liquid in the bottle into the glasses. It a light brownish, yellow colour. Like Whiskey. Vegeta sat in his seat and then handed a glass to Noca.

" **What's this?"** Noca asked, not wanting to accept the drink until he was sure what it was.

" **Saimizu,"** Vegeta answered, hoping that would be enough. It wasn't. Noca's brow furrowed and Vegeta rolled his eyes. **"It's Saiyan alcohol. Similar to Earth's Whiskey, but vastly stronger."**

" **Wouldn't you say that it's a delicacy then… like, you probably don't have a great supply,"** Noca said, getting too technical about a simple drink.

" **You'd think, but let's say that Bulma wanted to give me something for Christmas so I told her, and she used the Dragon Balls."**

Noca was satisfied enough with that answer. He took the glass and looked at the liquid. He could already smell it and it was definitely strong.

" **I shared some with Trunks on his 18** **th** **birthday,"** Vegeta said as he sniffed at the liquid and a satisfied expression crossed his face. **"I was planning to do the same with you, but now is as good a time as any."**

" **I'm honoured…"** Noca said, feeling genuinely proud that Vegeta wanted to share this with him. Noca slowly lifted the glass to his mouth and took a small sip of the liquid. Vegeta was right. Definitely stronger than Earth's alcohol. This was definitely the first time that Noca had ever felt the effects of alcohol. He winced and even gagged a little, but the taste clicked with him. Noca liked it and he soon found himself starting to drink more. He glanced over to Vegeta who wore an impressed expression.

" **Even Trunks couldn't handle the stuff,"** The Prince said with a slight chuckle. Noca smiled at Vegeta and continued to drink. **"You do realise that our training is going to get rough. I'm sure it will help keep your mind off of whatever it is you're thinking about."** Noca glanced back at the Prince and then at his hand.

" **You're right, we need to have complete focus over what we do,"** Noca put the glass down on the table and picked up the ice bucket. He put his hand inside and winced at the stinging pain, but quickly dealt with it.

" **We also need to remember that we aren't out here just to train, we're looking for something,"** Vegeta turned and faced out of the window, still sipping at his drink. **"Something important."**

Noca could almost see a glimmer of hope in Vegeta's eyes. He really wanted to find Sadala. His planet. It meant a lot to him. Far more than it did to Noca. As much as this would give Noca answers to questions he's had almost his whole life, Vegeta would finally find where his true ancestry lies and the truths behind so many Saiyan legends, he hoped.

" **Right now, we can relax, and drink."** Vegeta sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. Noca finished the last of the Saimizu he had in his glass and then stood up.

" **I think I'm going to try and get myself some sleep now, be up early for a session,"** Noca said with a smirk. **"Thanks for the drink, Vegeta."**

" **Here,"** Vegeta said as he held up the bottle, **"Take the rest of this one, I have plenty more."**

Noca took the bottle and smirked. He gave a nod of thanks and headed back to his quarters. He set the bottle on the table and dropped onto the bed. He took a last glance at the photograph of he and Pan and this time a smile came across his face. Hopefully things would be so much better once he returned to Earth.

That's all Noca had right now… hope. Not just for his relationship with Pan, but also for this quest that he and Vegeta had embarked upon.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading. Hope you all enjoyed. This was a chapter I was wary about writing because not a lot happens, but the things happening to Pan and Noca here are both like awakenings, so it felt right to keep it short._

 _Leave a review, please. See ya next week._

 _Next Time... Chapter 19: On the Right Track_


	19. Arc V: On the Right Track

_Yo, new chapter here for your eyes! Enjoy._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 19: On the Right Track**_

 _Monday 7_ _th_ _December Age 795_

The lone spaceship hurtled through space at speeds unknown to most of the people on Earth, but the occupants of this ship were unaware of the speeds. They were already busy with other things, most notably, their training regime.

Inside the back of the ship there was a large room that had been especially built to withstand only the largest of explosions. The kind of explosions that only a Saiyan warrior could create. And the two Saiyan warriors occupying that room at this time were two of the strongest. Any outside of the room would have been worried about what could possibly be happening inside, but there was no need to be concerned.

Noca danced around Vegeta, using his amazing pace to catch the Prince off-guard wherever he could. Vegeta's experience was always what gave him the greater advantage in these little spars, but Noca's endurance and will to keep going always made things very difficult for Vegeta.

The teen finally charged in to try and get an attack off on Vegeta, but the Prince backed off and sent a leg out, attempting to catch Noca. It was a pretty futile attempt as Noca simply adjusted himself and rose above the leg. This gave him an opening, so he believed. As he dropped in with a fist aimed for Vegeta's head the Prince caught it in his right hand and pulled Noca towards him. He thrust his free hand forward and opted for a point-blank Ki blast, throwing Noca back across the room.

The teen threw his arms out, using a burst of Ki to steady himself with Vegeta already in full charge mode. Noca had to twist around and avoid another attack. Vegeta was in the driver's seat now and the teen had to rethink his strategy and find a way to get back on top without having to transform into a Super Saiyan. If he could force Vegeta to be the first one to transform, then that's one step towards victory in Noca's eyes.

Noca charged head-on for the Prince, but started phasing around him to try and throw his senses off. Sure, Vegeta's experience meant he could probably get himself out of this scenario, but it would still cause quite a bit of frustration. Noca would gradually change up distance as much as he could. Going in close, but then backing off almost immediately. Vegeta would find it harder to come up with a counter measure that way, that's not to say it would be impossible.

Vegeta finally made an attempt by powering up and bursting out his Ki to push Noca back. The teen was a little surprised when it happened, but he already had an idea for that. He phased a little bit further back as the energy directed itself towards him and then he focussed as best he could to use Instant Transmission.

It managed to go the way he wanted and Noca was now behind Vegeta, and due to how narrowed in his senses had been he was very close. Noca sent his knee into Vegeta's lower back, causing an arch of pain. Vegeta had been unsuspecting after letting out some of his energy and distracting himself. As Vegeta arched, Noca pulled back and flipped up and over Vegeta, crashing his foot down into Vegeta's torso, sending him towards the floor.

Vegeta managed to flip and land perfectly, with Noca flying down and straight at him. Vegeta reacted quickly to put his arms up in a cross block, but Noca had the speed backing his strength and it was enough to unsteady the Prince and break his guard. Noca had another opening, and he was ready to abuse it. He sent a right jab into Vegeta's chest and then swung around to land a roundhouse kick against the side of Vegeta's head. The Prince wasn't knocked off of his feet, but he did stumble to the side a little. Noca followed in and grabbed the back of Vegeta's head. He attempted to push the Prince down on the ground, but Vegeta lifted both hands to his head and grabbed Noca's arm. He then performed a front flip and that caused Noca to land flat out on the ground, back first.

Vegeta, still holding onto Noca's arm, placed a foot on the teen's chest and started pulling on the arm. Noca could feel it stretching in a way it shouldn't and that was made worse when Vegeta started to twist it as well. Noca wasn't in an ideal scenario, he could just use Ki to get out of it, but he wanted to do something different. He wanted to prove that his physical strength was still good enough.

Noca twisted around and wrapped one of his legs around Vegeta's and then pulled it out from underneath him. Vegeta started to fall and put a hand out to stop himself, but Noca was in control, once again. He grabbed onto the front of Vegeta's armour and pulled him up, smacking his head against Vegeta's in the process. The Prince fell back down and Noca slammed a punch down onto the Prince's chest.

Vegeta coughed and yelled, throwing out a wave of energy in the process. Causing Noca to put his arms up in an attempted guard. The Prince spun on the spot, taking out Noca's legs and then leapt up before Noca could hit the ground and kicked him up into the air. He then charged into the sky and managed to arrive there before Noca did and then slammed his fists down in a hammering motion, knocking Noca back towards the ground.

He followed down, drilling his feet into Noca's gut and sending him down that much quicker. Noca bashed down on the ground and even bounced up a little, but not for long as Vegeta once again dropped down, knee first, into Noca's gut once more. The teen coughed up again and lay back. He was in pain, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Both of them knew… they were just getting warmed up.

Vegeta jumped off and backed away. He watched as Noca slowly, but surely pushed himself up onto his feet. That last attack had certainly taken it out of him, and he was feeling the pain, but he wasn't ready to back down. Noca clenched his fists and yelled out, unleashing a large wave of energy that knocked Vegeta back a little and sent the teen to his full powered Super Saiyan form, aura flaring as well.

Noca growled in anger. He didn't want to be the one to take it to this level, but that's what it had come to. He wouldn't let Vegeta get away with this. Speaking of, the Prince straightened up cracked his neck and closed his eyes. Then, in a flash of light, out burst Vegeta's full powered Super Saiyan form. He smirked and slowly opened his eyes. There were no words that needed to be said. The Saiyans stood, facing one another. Neither one of them wanting to miss what was about to happen next. Someone would make the first move, but whom?

Noca was the one with a point to prove and he was letting his anger get control in this fight, so rather than charging forward he took a moment to compose himself and analyse what Vegeta's intentions may be. Vegeta closed his eyes again and then phased away, leaving Noca tense. The teen put his arms up in a defensive manner and kept his senses in tandem to try and hear, see or feel Vegeta's presence. There was a click in Noca's head and he snap looked to the left, but that wasn't right.

Vegeta reappeared and went to kick Noca in the head, from the right. Noca quickly turned and moved his arm to stop the kick. He held it back and pushed away with his right arm and then threw a Ki blast in with his left.

Vegeta was equal to it and swatted the blast away with ease. Noca groaned as Vegeta charged and threw a punch forward. Noca moved to the left, the punch missing and leaving Vegeta open. Noca threw a few punches into Vegeta's side and then finished with an uppercut. The Prince was knocked back and Noca ran forward and leapt into the air.

He descended with a spinning kick into the left side of Vegeta's head and as the Prince flew to the side Noca threw a Ki blast after him. The blast connected and exploded, giving Vegeta cover, but Noca's senses were well attuned and he proceeded to charge into the smoke and through the other side. As he emerged Noca was holding onto Vegeta by the shoulders and kept moving until smashing into a wall.

Vegeta wasn't going anywhere. Noca moved his left hand to Vegeta's chest and held him there, then he started punching Vegeta's face with his right. He only managed three before Vegeta grabbed on with both arms. Noca missed that. The Prince sniggered ever so slightly and then flipped back and threw Noca down into the ground. Noca immediately got back to his feet, but didn't refocus quick enough.

Vegeta dropped behind him and grabbed Noca's shoulders, using his knee to smash Noca in the lower back and then as Noca arched the Prince flipped forward, landing his feet on Noca's head and sending him crashing into the floor, again. Noca was on his back again and he was being completely overshadowed by Vegeta. This wasn't how he had expected the conflict to go.

Noca smashed his hands on the floor and jumped up with a yell of anger. He was beginning to get very frustrated with how much control Vegeta had. He clenched his fists again and narrowed his eyes. He grit his teeth and expanded his Aura. Vegeta's smirk faded as he could see Noca was letting emotions rule his actions in this spar. Vegeta thought he had taught Noca better, but the teen wasn't taking any of that training into consideration right now. Sure, things had happened to him recently that were certainly making it hard for Noca to keep full concentration on this fight, but that didn't mean he should be forgetting himself.

Noca's aura started to spark and his hair was all standing on end. He was getting to Super Saiyan 2. Vegeta had been hoping to keep that held back for now and bring it forward in later sessions, but if Noca was just going to do it now then now was as good a time as any. Vegeta also went Super Saiyan 2, but didn't bother moving into a fighting stance. Noca furrowed a brow as Vegeta seemed to relax, even dropping his aura away.

" **That's enough for today,"** Vegeta said, but he didn't drop his form down. Noca kept his guard up, expecting this to be training. **"I mean it. You can drop your guard."**

Noca breathed a sigh of relief and was about to power down, but Vegeta spoke up.

" **But you're going to stay as a Super Saiyan 2,"** Vegeta said as he casually walked to the exit. Noca watched with surprise. He wasn't sure what to do. He could feel too much energy flowing through his system and he didn't know if he could keep up with it. **"You'll have to live with it for as long as I say."**

" **But… I can't do that yet,"** Noca said, pleading.

" **Then learn to,"** Vegeta said as he exited the room and closed the door behind him. Noca heard it lock.

" **Wait… what are you doing?"** Noca questioned, rushing to the door.

" **If you can't do it yet then you will stay in here until you can achieve it. I don't care how long it might take,"** Vegeta walked off without another work and Noca was just left, standing there, still as a Super Saiyan his aura and energy still sparking around him. Noca looked into the room and wondered to himself how he was meant to do this. He assumed he better start by trying to completely control his aura in this form so he can turn it off and stay like it. That would be his first test.

As Vegeta made his way back to the control room he took a moment to rest leaning against a chair. As much as he made out Noca was weaker for not achieving the same thing, the truth was, Vegeta wasn't yet experienced enough with this. He too was having trouble trying to stay in this form without powering down and resting, but by not telling Noca… by lying… it would hopefully make the boy far stronger. Vegeta now had to do exactly what he told Noca. He would need to strive to stay in this form for as long as possible, no matter how hard.

Noca went and sat down in the middle of the GR and closed his eyes. His aura was still going crazy with the sparks making their presence known, but Noca was doing all he could to try and calm his mind. He took a few breaths and then stopped. Letting his mind do the rest of the work. He just kept picturing himself achieving what he wanted and tried pulling his aura away.

Just as he thought he was making some progress Noca realised he had been holding his breath a little too long. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes and his Aura flared up shocking him and making him stand. He then fell to his knees, the aura still around him. He was breathing heavily and felt exhausted, but he knew not to stop. He would do this, and he would best Vegeta.

* * *

Three Days passed by. Noca was still locked inside the Gravity Room. Luckily, Vegeta had allowed him access to his food capsules, but other than that the Saiyan Prince didn't pay Noca any attention and focussed on his own training, alone. Neither one of them was getting any fighting training and they were ok with that. The sooner they learned to fully control Super Saiyan 2 the better fighters they would be.

Noca was still struggling to get accustomed to keeping his aura and energy completely down and concealed while in the powered-up state. This made it extremely difficult to relax, which meant Noca hadn't slept for the past few days. He vowed to stay awake and in that Super Saiyan 2 form. He was very exhausted due to this and just wanted to drop his energy and rest, but knew that wasn't a good idea in this moment. He needed to prove to himself, not just to Vegeta, that he could do the impossible.

Vegeta would observe Noca wherever he could, but didn't dare interrupt. He knew that Noca needed all the concentration he could get in this moment and isolation would help that. The teen had even managed to get thoughts of Pan and the Earth out of his mind, but he was still driven by the thought of getting to Sadala, finding out more about this Kuyato and doing his duty to protect the Galaxy.

Many more days passed them by, but they were making great progress. Within seven days both of them had learned how to stay in that form with a reduced and hidden aura, but that didn't mean the strain on their bodies was lifted. That was still a hard task. At least it was finally easier for them to sleep. Noca was definitely happy about that progress. It was hard for the first week or so because Noca would sometimes lose focus in the night, during his sleep, and would lose that control over his energy. This would lead to accidentally waking himself up.

The teen would often find himself on the floor, sweating and breathing heavily with is aura flared up. He would silently curse Vegeta for putting him through all of this, but he knew the Prince was going through the same thing. He could sense it.

Whenever Vegeta accidentally woke himself up in the night he would be rather enraged and that was always a burst of energy that Noca would feel. Sometimes, when Noca had good nights, he would be woken up by Vegeta's bursts of rage. Both Saiyans were putting their bodies and minds through rigorous training without even having to move. This was certainly a time where previous training with Piccolo had served Noca well. Meditation would always help calm his mind and keep him focussed.

Unfortunately, Vegeta would always be a little too hot-headed for that kind of training.

It took almost another whole month for both Noca and Vegeta to be completely in control of this power. Even when they came to the conclusion that they were satisfied with the control they had, they still encountered difficulties. Noca still struggled during the night, sometimes getting less sleep than needed. Vegeta, on the other hand, would lose patience every now and then and let it out. It all took a toll on them, but both of the fighters knew it wasn't worth delaying any more training. They should keep going.

It was finally time to try out their power in these new (almost) Full Powered forms. Christmas and New Year had passed by without any fanfare. Neither of them really cared about it, their focus was turned to the training session. It didn't necessarily go off as they had expected, but it wasn't a bad result. Both of them did their best to not power-up their aura, wanting to keep things as even as they could. The point of this was to show that they could improve the base level of Super Saiyan 2, this would mean they could make the overall power of the form more immense than it already was. That was the plan with this session.

Noca and Vegeta were almost completely equal during this spar. In terms of power, it was very hard to distinguish between them who was the best? It was unclear, but ultimately, Vegeta's experience was what trumped Noca. The teen becoming a little complacent towards the end of the spar wasn't what Vegeta had planned on, but neither of them had managed to get more than a couple of nights of proper sleep.

But after that spar, neither of them had the intentions to take things easy on one another. Both knew that they still had a long way to go if they were to ever have a power to rival even the Gods. Beerus and Whis had opened their eyes to so many more possibilities and that intrigued them enough to provoke these advanced training sessions.

Both of them made it clear they never intended to do what Goku did to use the power of the Super Saiyan God, but they would still do their best to reach a power that rivals that. After the session, the two Saiyans had some food and returned to their sleeping-quarters. Even if they would still have a poor night's sleep, they had to try their best.

A few more weeks passed them by, and something was playing on Vegeta's mind.

 _Thursday 11_ _th_ _February Age 796_

Vegeta was sitting in the control room, in the same chair that he had on the day they took off from Earth. He was staring out into the dark abyss of space and hoped to see something. A planet. Another ship. Anything. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Vegeta smashed a fist on the side of his chair and stood up. He grabbed a bottle of Saimizu and took a swig.

Noca had heard Vegeta hit his chair and came out of his room to see what was going on. He saw Vegeta standing, facing away from him, clutching the bottle.

" **Everything ok?"** Noca asked, cautiously. Vegeta didn't turn around.

" **We are heading nowhere…"** Vegeta grumbled. He placed his bottle on the side and turned around to face Noca. **"We came out here looking for Sadala, or more information about this Kuyato, but we have made no progress."**

" **I guess we just have to be patient… a path will surely reveal itself,"** Noca suggested, not really having any satisfying answers to give the angered Prince. Vegeta walked towards Noca and he was definitely not happy.

" **Your friend, the guardian, the one who sent us on this wild goose chase, why doesn't he help?"** Vegeta asked. Noca took a step back, not enjoying the close proximity.

" **I don't know how to contact him… but… I'm sure we'll have some idea of where to go soon. I'm sure we're very close,"** Noca said, trying to lower Vegeta's concerns. This wasn't enough to satisfy Vegeta and he clearly looked as if he wanted to take his anger out on something. He clenched his fist and was about to step closer to Noca again, but then something on the control panel started beeping and lighting up.

It drew the attentions of both Saiyans and Noca rushed over to see what it was. It appeared as if some coordinates had been inserted and the ship's course was reset. Noca looked out into Space again, hoping to see something. He looked down at the controls again.

" **It's sending us somewhere…"** Noca informed Vegeta. The Prince walked over and looked at the controls.

" **It's unknown according to the computer, are you sure we can trust it?"** Vegeta questioned. Noca looked up at him and then out into space again.

" **I guess we'll have to, there's not much else we can do,"** Noca said, talking complete sense. If the machine had set itself then this must be something to do with the Guardian. It had to be his doing. Noca let Vegeta know that he was going to continue resting up in his room. Vegeta remained at the controls, still unsure of where they were going.

As soon as Noca stepped inside his room and closed the door he felt uneasy. Something was there. Someone was there. Noca put his fists up in defence only to be greeted by the Guardian in the white cloak. Noca sighed and lowered his arms.

" **Couldn't you knock?"** Noca questioned, trying to speak quietly so that Vegeta wouldn't hear.

" **Your course is set,"** The Guardian said, **"I have given you a hint, a direction. You must find Sadala on your own. I cannot guide you any further from here."**

" **Why not? You expect us to know where we are going?"** Noca asked, getting pretty annoyed with the Guardian.

" **I do not know where Sadala is. I have visited it once before, but since then the location was protected. Only a Saiyan can find it now,"** The Guardian confirmed. Noca took a moment to process this. He was beginning to understand, but only a little. **"I can only point you towards someone who can help, other than that, you are on your own."**

With that, the Guardian vanished. Noca wanted to ask more questions, but wasn't given that opportunity. He cursed to himself and sat down on the bed. He would just have to trust what new information he had been given. Hopefully they were one step closer to finding what it was they were seeking.

* * *

 _Sunday 14_ _th_ _February Age 796_

The small Capsule-ship continued to soar through the emptiness of space at a tremendous pace. Noca and Vegeta were busy in the Gravity Room, training as much as they could. Wherever the location they were headed to was, they weren't close enough for it to bother them just yet. Or so they believed. It had been far too long since they checked the computer.

That was why the two of them were quite surprised when the computer started to make a noise. There were a couple of beeping sounds as the Gravity lowered to an average amount (for Noca and Vegeta) and the lights came up properly. Soon enough, a voice sounded through the computer.

" **We are soon approaching Unknown Planet,"** The machine said. Vegeta walked over to the computer and the screen showed where they were.

" **Do you think this is your planet?"** Vegeta asked pointing at the screen and looking to the teen. Noca approached and looked down. He didn't know what it was, but there was certainly something drawing him there. Noca didn't confirm nor deny that they had reached the right place. He only said…

" **We need to get down there."**

Noca walked past Vegeta and went to get changed into something more suitable for going outside onto a different planet. Vegeta performed a quick scan of the atmosphere to find out what kinda of conditions they had. It would certainly be safe enough for a Saiyan and their adaptability, but Noca's human part might be affected if there are any unfamiliar gases out there.

Noca changed into his own Saiyan battle armour. The one with the black underclothing. Vegeta, meanwhile, stayed in his normal outfit and prepared to bring the ship down.

" **The species on this planet better not be hostile, I'm not in the mood for that right now,"** Vegeta grumbled as they entered the atmosphere.

" **Don't worry, I'm sure they're perfectly normal,"** Noca said, smirking at the Saiyan Prince. Vegeta rolled his eyes and continued focusing on bringing the ship in. Noca couldn't admit that he was extremely wary too. Both of them were still powered to Super Saiyan 2 and that could come off as a threat if the people of this planet could sense energy. They were not there as a threat.

Vegeta made sure to land far enough away from the nearest piece of civilisation. He didn't want to get on the wrong side of anyone, not right away. They both stepped outside of the ship, but not before Vegeta had given Noca a small breathing mask, just in case any of the foreign gases had an effect on him. The teen was sure he would be fine, but Vegeta advised they take it with them, just in case.

Upon stepping outside, they got a view of the terrain, first hand. It was a forest planet, that seemed heavily mountainous. Well, they had landed just outside of the large forest area in a sort of marshlands. It seemed that they would have to travel up through a mountainous valley if they were going to get to civilisation. Vegeta started off, but Noca stopped to take in some of the surroundings.

Vegeta stopped and turned, wanting to tell Noca to hurry, but then remembered something. This was Noca's first time on a different planet. He had to let that fact sink in for a second. Noca chuckled lightly to himself and looked up at Vegeta. He looked rather impatient and Noca knew that meant it was time for them to move. So, move they did.

The mountainous areas weren't too difficult to navigate, plus they had the use of their senses to find civilisation. They could just fly to the location, but Noca wanted to explore properly. Take it all in. Vegeta didn't deny him that.

They soon entered the forest and found that a lot of ducking under branches and stepping over fallen trees, large roots, or even rocks was needed as well. Noca took a moment to stop and look closer at a small lizard-like creature that he saw on the ground. It stayed right in front of him and stared up at the teen. It was all so different. The lizard scurried off in the opposite direction from where Noca and Vegeta were headed. That's when he felt it. Something… strange. It was powerful. And it was further through this forest.

Noca rushed to catch up with Vegeta and they continued further along. Eventually they both noticed smoke coming through the trees. Was someone in danger? They continued on, eventually coming to what looked like a proper pathway, and the ground started to level out. They were no longer ascending, even though there was still more of the mountain to go. Finally, the two Saiyans came to an opening, a large opening… and a village.

Noca and Vegeta stopped when they emerged and looked on the small civilisation. They were in no way advanced. Vegeta grunted to himself. He'd clearly hoped for something more than this. Noca looked at him and then back to the village and the people. They were strange looking aliens. In fact, they all only had one eye. One eye, long heads, semi-circle shaped ears and their torsos appeared to be covered in fur of some sort. They were a pink-ish colour. They were slim in size though. There were men, women and children. They even had pets, but seemed to speak in a different language.

Vegeta handed Noca a small device, like, really damn small. **"Put it in your ear and we'll be able to understand them."**

Noca inserted the device. It didn't kick in right away, but that was just because they weren't yet close enough. Speaking of being close enough. Soon enough, a dog like creature came running over to their location and it appeared to be chasing a rock. It had a large rounded head and a small puffy tail. Its snout wasn't relatively long either. It clearly noticed the Saiyans.

Noca was going to greet it, but then a voice called out. Presumably getting the animal's attention. It was a small alien, a child. It ran over and tried to get the animal to come back with it. The child hadn't noticed the Saiyans, at least, not right away. It looked up at them slowly and froze on the spot. Noca raised a hand in a little wave.

" **Hi…"** Noca said nicely, but nervously. The kid slowly backed away and then turned and ran back to the village, screaming to get the attention of the adults. And sure enough, plenty of adults, specifically the males, came rushing over with some very poor weapon choices. Spears and bats, pretty much. Noca put his hands up to show they meant no harm, but Vegeta just crossed his arms.

" **You,"** A voice said. It was deep, gruff, and strong. A large alien stepped forward. He was taller than the others, but he didn't look any bigger or tougher. **"Your kind have no place here. Leave."**

Vegeta seemed to take offence from this and stepped forward, but as soon as he did the rest of the aliens held their weapons up at him. Vegeta grunted and started laughing.

" **You think those poor weapons can stop me,"** Vegeta said, proudly. The large alien stepped forward some more.

" **Saiyans have no place here,"** The alien repeated. This time Noca was the one to come forward.

" **Please, we're not here to hurt you. We're looking for something and we were brought here,"** Noca explained, hoping this would help them. **"Is there any way you can help us?"**

" **No,"** the alien said and turned his back, **"I have already said, leave. She says you will only bring us pain… and death."**

The rest of the people reacted to this. They were genuinely scared of the Saiyans. Noca looked at their faces and walked forward again. He stood in front of the leader alien and looked up at him.

" **Who said that?"** Noca asked. The alien looked down and saw that Noca had a serious expression on his face, but not one that said he was about to kill someone. The alien pointed up the mountain.

" **She has taken refuge in a cave. The witch foretold your arrival. She warned us to be ready… to stop you,"** he explained. Noca nodded and then looked over to Vegeta. The two of them started to walk on, but Noca looked back to say a last thing.

" **We will leave your village in peace… because I think this strange witch is why we're here,"** Noca said, looking to Vegeta. The Prince seemed confused by that claim, but the two of them walked on anyway. All the aliens remained still and watched as the Saiyans walked through their village to the other side. They then started to ascend up the mountain.

On the way up, Vegeta was beginning to question things.

" **So, why are we visiting this witch?"**

" **She predicted that we were coming… and she clearly knows about Saiyans. So, maybe she knows where Sadala is,"** Noca suggested, shrugging his shoulders. Vegeta rolled his eyes and grunted in annoyance. He wasn't happy with how things were going, but he just had to put up with it.

They continued further up the mountain path, and noticed that there was a part of it that seemed to branch off towards a cave, but that path looked a little more dangerous than what they had already been walking on. That must have meant they were going the right way. Noca started on ahead of Vegeta. The Prince stalled for a second, looked back behind him and then started following. They approached a cave opening, but there was a tree collapsed in front of it.

Noca started to move the tree, but as he did there was a little cracking sound and some of the rocks started to crumble, as if about to collapse.

" **Stop,"** Vegeta said as he rushed up to Noca. The teen stepped away from the tree and the cracking stopped. The gap underneath the tree was large enough to crawl through and even though Vegeta didn't want to do that it was better than accidentally covering the entrance. Noca went first, ducking under and moving on through. Vegeta followed in.

It was dark inside, but that didn't mean they couldn't make their way through. Noca could feel lots of rocks on the floor and almost tripped. He realised that a light source would definitely be needed. He used his energy to power up a small Ki ball and used that as his light source. The two Saiyans could continue on without any problems now. There were a few low ceilings that meant they needed to crouch a little, but nothing too bad.

The cave was beginning to get a lot more open the further they progressed in. Soon enough they could see a light at the end. And it wasn't sunlight, it was artificial lighting. Noca looked back at Vegeta and then continued, remaining wary of what may reveal itself to them. As they came to the light source they realised they had come to an open room. Like a small library. There were shelves of books. Jars full of weird liquids, some with rocks. Strange paintings littered the walls, and there were weird ornamental statues. Whoever was here had been so for quite some time.

Noca noticed a sheet that had a drawing of a being. They were humanoid in shape, but their head shape was strange. The image was only drawn as a silhouette, so Noca had no idea who it was meant to be. He looked at the back of the sheet and that had some strange words written on it. Noca handed the sheet to Vegeta.

" **Do you know this language?"** Noca asked the Prince. Vegeta quickly looked and seemed to think.

" **It's… old. Very old. But I think I can make it out…"** Vegeta said as he continued to think. Noca stood there looking at him, but Vegeta wasn't having any luck.

" **Tro-ah Riftei Oncoa,"** A female voice said. Both Noca's and Vegeta's attentions snapped forwards and that's when they saw her. The alien witch, presumably. She was green-skinned, blue-haired, with pointed ears and golden eyes. She smirked at the two men and licked her lips, revealing a snake-like tongue. She was wearing an old looking robe that barely covered her chest, but luckily, she was wearing something like a skirt underneath, but much of her leg was revealed. She was certainly beautiful, but the Saiyans took no notice of this. **"That phrase means 'The Fifth Corner.'"**

She could see that it no longer mattered to the two Saiyans. They were beginning to feel awkward now that she had revealed herself.

" **You're the witch?"** Noca questioned. She appeared to be visibly angered by that. She frowned and stepped towards Noca.

" **I am not a witch!"** She said right at him. Bringing her sharp nails to his cheek and grazing him lightly, and slowly. Noca was clearly a taken aback.

" **Sorry… that's what they called you,"** Noca said, referring to the people of the village. The 'witch' smiled at Noca and stroked his cheek. Noca went a little red faced.

" **I'm sorry to have scratched that perfect face of yours,"** She said, kissing him on the cheek and winking at him. Noca cleared his throat. **"I am Princess Amber."**

Vegeta scoffed upon hearing that and now her attention was turned to the Prince. **"Something funny?"** She growled. Vegeta chuckled lightly.

" **You don't look like a Princess. Hiding out in a cave with all this crap,"** Vegeta replied. Amber was clearly infuriated by that statement, but she didn't walk over to him. She just turned her back on him and walked to her bookshelf.

" **I don't need a kingdom or a planet,"** She said, **"Just like you, Prince Vegeta."**

Vegeta grunted in anger and turned away. It was clear that those two weren't going to get along, but that didn't matter. Noca assumed they had to be here and approached Amber.

" **Listen, we were sent here, by a Guardian,"** Noca started, clearing his throat afterwards. **"I was shown a vision of a future, at least, I saw it in a dream. It could be the future, or just a possible future."**

" **Well, it has nothing to do with me,"** She said, walking away from Noca, but the teen quickly grabbed her wrist.

" **Please, we're not here about the vision, but we believe it can lead us somewhere,"** Noca explained a little further. **"Why did the Guardian think you could help us?"**

Amber turned around and looked Noca in the eyes.

" **I'm an Oracle. A descendant of the Guardians themselves. I have predicted futures before, and I saw the vision of the Super Saiyan God. The one that brought Beerus to you,"** Amber said, looking over at Vegeta. The Prince still looked very untrusting. He didn't want to be fraternising with her. **"You want to know where planet Sadala is?"**

Noca nodded. Amber took a hold of his hand and looked deep into his eyes. Her eyes began to shine bright and she started to look within Noca's mind. She needed to properly witness the vision, but she also had other motives.

Suddenly she stopped and stepped away from Noca, eyeing him up, strangely. Noca didn't fully understand. Vegeta was getting tired of standing around and started to walk off. Noca turned to look at the Prince and was about to call him back but Amber stopped him.

" **Noca, your future… you will do… I can't…"** She was finding it very hard to get words out. She was holding onto Noca's hands and a single tear ran down her cheek, but she didn't look upset. What had she seen? **"I can tell you how to get there, but… I cannot go with you."**

Noca nodded in understanding, **"So, tell me…"**

The teen was still wondering what it was she had seen that had worried and shocked her. Noca swallowed as she started to tell him the co-ordinates of planet Sadala. Noca took them on-board, but he still couldn't shake the thoughts of what terrible thing she might have seen in his future.

" **Thank you,"** Noca said as he started walking away, but before he left he noticed something in one of the paintings that caught his eye. A being, covered by a Golden aura, facing off against one with a black and red aura. A being of grand stature. Noca looked away from the painting and left the cave without another word to Amber. He met Vegeta outside and they headed back to their ship. Noca told Vegeta the co-ordinates and then no more words were said that night. The proper journey to Sadala had begun.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading, I hope you liked that. Getting some progress in here and some more hints for the future. Plus, this is one of three planets that Noca and Vegeta will visit in this arc. (Still haven't named the planet in this chapter though)..._

 _If you liked this, go ahead and leave a review, friends!_

 _Next Time... Chapter 20: The Scavengers_


	20. Arc V: The Scavengers

_Yo, new chapter. Read it! Now! Then leave a review. You know you want to._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 20: The Scavengers**_

 _Thursday 10_ _th_ _June Age 796_

Along on their journey Vegeta spotted a planet on the radar that appeared to be very volcanic and decided that it was a good location for some intense training. They landed down on the planet and saw that the whole planet was extremely volcanic. Think Mustafar in Star Wars, but with less rivers of lava and rockier terrain.

Noca was standing in the centre of an open plain, and in the distance some volcanoes were erupting. The Saiyan teen had his eyes closed and he was preparing for an attack, but he first had to keep his focus and his mind clear. His senses had to be on full alert, Vegeta could attack at any time. That time was now, as Vegeta dropped in with an attempt to attack Noca.

The teen opened his eyes and jumped back, flipping in the air and avoiding Vegeta's attack. The Prince struck the ground. Noca landed back on his feet, just fine, but Vegeta was back on the attack. Noca jumped to the right, dodging the Prince. Vegeta turned and attempted to strike Noca with a right hook. Noca bent back, letting the arm fly over him. Noca took a chance to attempt an attack and kicked up, striking Vegeta's arm and knocking the Prince back. Noca flipped away again in the process, but his sparring partner was already attempting to make another attack.

Vegeta charged in at full speed and Noca had to block it. He put as much power as needed into his block and pushed Vegeta back, opening him up for an attacking opportunity. Noca punched Vegeta in the chest and attempted to follow that up with another punch from the same fist. Vegeta caught that one with complete ease. The Prince then lifted his leg, crashing his knee into Noca's gut. The teen stumbled back away and Vegeta followed on.

He sent a right jab into Noca's face and then followed that up by swiping his right elbow across Noca's face, knocking the teen to the ground. Noca fell on his front and Vegeta made a move to punch down on Noca's back, but the teen quickly kicked back, knocking Vegeta's leg out from underneath him. As Vegeta fell Noca swiftly turned to be on his back and sent a Ki blast up at Vegeta, sending him into the sky.

Noca returned to his feet and leapt up to meet the Prince in the sky. Both of them levelled out facing one another. They each took a second to analyse one another, but they were too focused on each other to realise what was going on below them. The ground had been affected by their fighting and was starting to open up a little bit, causing molten rock to rise to the surface and explode, blasting up into the air. There were bits of rock coming for both Noca and Vegeta, so the two Saiyans were forced to make great efforts to avoid any hot rocks, or bits of lava.

Vegeta wanted to use this scenario to his own advantage and shot towards Noca, whom was completely unaware of Vegeta's intentions. The Saiyan Prince punched the teen in the face with his right and Noca was knocked down towards the ground. The teen managed to power-up and stop himself from hitting the ground just in time to back off from Vegeta's incoming attack. The Prince crashed a fist down into the ground in front of Noca. The punch caused the ground to crack open a little and more magma rose to the surface.

Noca made sure to back off far enough to get a good distance away from Vegeta. He needed time to plot his next attack. Vegeta came in at Noca and attempted an uppercut, but Noca blocked it and flipped forwards over the Prince. As Noca came around to the other side of the Prince he was able to kick Vegeta in the back and knock the Prince forward. Vegeta quickly spun around, ready to attack, but Noca was already charging in. He kicked Vegeta in the head, hard, and the Prince flew into a large rock. Noca jumped up and soared down towards him, but Vegeta had to do something quick to slow down the teen. He lifted a hand and fired an energy beam into Noca. The beam caught the teen by surprise and Noca was knocked away.

Vegeta jumped up and flew up and over Noca. He then performed a forward overhead-kick to knock Noca back down towards the ground. The teen had to use a power burst to slow himself and avoid hitting the ground again, but as soon as he looked up Vegeta was dropping in again. Noca backed away and Vegeta altered his direction to follow after the teen. Vegeta attempted to crash into Noca, but the teen blocked the attack with his right arm and then fired a blast with his left. The blast was aimed for Vegeta's gut, but the Prince managed to kick Noca's arm away. The blast sailed off into the distance and crashed into a rock formation, destroying it.

Both backed off from one another, but Vegeta moved in quick enough to get an attack off. He punched Noca in the chest, causing him to back off and then Vegeta jumped after him. He attempted to punch down, but Noca blocked it and Vegeta dropped away. His feet barely touched the ground before he was already shooting in towards Noca again. He kicked Noca in the gut and followed it up by elbowing the teen in the side of the head.

The teen stumbled and managed to get himself back up, but by the time he did Vegeta had phased. He came it at Noca's right and kicked him away to the side and phased once more. He appeared in front of Noca and kicked up into his face, then phased again. He came in on Noca's right again and kicked him towards some rocks.

Noca smashed into those rocks and bounced straight back off of them, landing hard on the ground. He slowly pushed up and made it to his feet as Vegeta rushed in and managed to get up a strong enough block to push the Prince back. Noca then thrust an energy blast forward, smashing it into Vegeta's chest and sending him flying off into the distance. Noca took a second to compose himself and crack his neck, but then followed on after the Prince.

Their spar was going to continue, but first we have something else to check out for a second. Another ship had entered into the atmosphere of this unknown planet and flew towards a rather large plateau before slowly touching down, and landing on top of it. The ship was pretty large, about six times the size of the Capsule Corp. ship.

Once the ship had landed an entry ramp opened up and then four different looking beings walked out. They were clearly aliens, but none of them were the same race. The one at the front of the group was rather large and fat, and looked to be the same species as Dodoria of the Freeza army. The one behind him was taller and a lot slimmer. He had red skin, a bald head and his facial features were very snake like. Even his skin appeared to be scaled. The third of the group was also tall, but a lot more buff than the alien in front of him. He had grey skin, short black hair that was shaved at the sides and a goatee style beard and moustache. His most differentiating features were his four arms and one eye.

The last of the group was the one that looked to be in the most powerful position. He wasn't as tall as his soldiers, but he was certainly average height for an adult human male. He wasn't human though. He had light purple skin, and a Mohawk that was a very dark purple. He wore an armour that didn't have anything covering his arms, so you could just see his muscles. They were all wearing outfits that they appeared to have fashioned themselves. There were even parts of old Cold Empire armours in there.

The four aliens walked out onto the plateau and looked around. The leader stayed on the end of the landing ramp. The other three turned to each other and started talking amongst themselves.

" **So… what are we here for,"** The one that was from the same species as Dodoria asked the others. The grey-skinned buff one whacked him on the head. **"Ow! What was that for, Tufa?"**

" **Shirken told us to look for a specific type of rock that can only be found in volcanic areas, like this planet,"** Tufa explained, showing that he wasn't just a muscle headed imbecile. **"Is that too much for your tiny mind, Shibo?"**

Shibo tried to hit Tufa, but something held his arm back. It was the snake like one, using his tail which had been previously hidden.

" **Don't get into a fight in front of Shirken, boys,"** He told the two of them while nodding his head towards the leader, who we can now assume was called Shirken.

" **Nobody put you in charge, Kuiku,"** Tufa said, scoffing slightly as he walked to the edge of the plateau and looked down. Kuiku took his tail off of Shibo's arm and hissed to himself.

" **Quiet, all of you,"** Shirken said in his deep, commanding voice. **"There should be an abundance of those rocks out there, so I want you to find a lot of them, quickly."**

The three of them looked at each other again and then back to Shirken. He cracked his neck and glared at them.

" **Did I stutter? I said QUICKLY!"** As soon as Shirken yelled at them they all blasted off in opposite direction to look for them. Shirken remained on the rock and looked around the area, until something caught his eye. Off to the right from this plateau there was another open space, and sitting in the middle of it was a small spaceship that appeared to be cargo sized. Shirken looked around again and wondered if there were more things out here trying to collect those rocks.

He was about to move towards the ship, but then his hearing picked up on something. Shirken had super strong hearing and he managed to narrow it and block out any unwanted sounds. He picked up on the sounds of fighting. Combat. Taking place quite far away. Shirken lifted his wrist towards his mouth and pressed a button, opening communications with his men.

" **New mission, I want you guys to head about 20 miles east from my location. Find out what's going on over there,"** Shirken ordered before disconnecting the communication and heading off to see what was up with that ship.

Meanwhile, Noca and Vegeta continued to go head to head in their sparring match, ignorant to the fact that those aliens were headed their way. The two Saiyans were locked in a barrage of punches and kicks and were exerting a lot of energy. Still powered up as Super Saiyan 2, the fighters were completely focused on their own energies and each other's movements. A clash in the attack occurred and Noca was knocked back. He took this to his advantage and phased away, hoping to confuse Vegeta with his next move. The teen moved further away from Vegeta and watch the Prince look over the area.

Vegeta was so engrossed in looking for Noca that he really didn't notice what was coming for him in that moment. In fact, Vegeta felt something coming from his left. He turned to look, but as he did he could feel the presence of more energy levels, but he had no time react as he was struck on the head and sent flying into a rock formation. He hit the rocks hard and fell down to the ground. The ground had started to crack and more lava had risen to the surface, slightly catching Vegeta's skin.

Vegeta leapt up to his feet and was about to call out to his attackers, but that chance was gone as the rocks behind him suddenly exploded, throwing lots of lava and rock over the place. Vegeta had to try and power his aura at the last minute, but it didn't do him any good. Noca was still biding his time, but upon realising something was going on, and Vegeta was involved, he knew he had to get back in there.

Noca blasted back in and saw three alien warriors floating there, looking towards the lava and rock.

" **Well, I guess he's dead,"** Shibo said, dusting his hands as if he had actually done something. Kuiku looked down at him.

" **Don't be so sure, we don't know how strong he is,"** The snake-like alien replied, crossing his arms. Tufa turned to try and interject, but Noca shot in and kicked him in the back. He bounced off and smashed a fist into Shibo's face and then swiped his leg around, trying to catch Kuiku. Unfortunately, it was Kuiku that caught him. The alien's tail wrapped around Noca's leg and launched him down towards the ground.

Noca powered his energy out and looked up as Tufa dropped in with an elbow aimed first. The teen was hit on the head and backed away, but suddenly Shibo shot at him, head-butting him into some rocks. Kuiku dropped down in front of him and blasted the teen with a huge energy blast. The blast exploded and Noca used it as a chance to shoot off up in the air. That's when all three of them appeared in front of him, very quickly.

Shibo threw an energy blast into Noca's face, giving Tufa a chance to shoot in. The buff alien smashed both of his right fists into Noca's gut and then dropped an elbow on Noca's head, knocking him back down to the ground. Kuiku rounded off the attack by shooting in, wrapping his tail around Noca's neck and launching him across the area, towards a rather large trench. Noca smashed into some rocks and started falling down inside the trench. There was a lot of lava flow down in the trench, so the aliens assumed the Saiyan had been killed.

The aliens weren't finished yet. Vegeta fired out of the rocks and yelled out, becoming a Full Powered Super Saiyan 2. He exerted so much power and there were a lot of sparks around his body. The aliens turned to see Vegeta charging towards them. As far as the Prince knew, Noca had just been severely injured, or far worse. The alien scavengers could tell that Vegeta was going to be too much for them and they started to back down. They began to head back to their ship.

" **Get back here, you cowards!"** Vegeta screamed as he chased after them, completely forgetting about Noca.

Back at the ship, the leader of the Scavengers (Shirken) had just finished loading the Capsule Corp. ship into the cargo hold of his own ship. Luckily their ship was a lot bigger than the Capsule-Ship. Vegeta was approaching the location and could see the large transport. He started to wonder how many more fighters or scavengers there might be.

The trio stopped in front of their leader as he started to load some sort of wrist weapon.

" **These guys are pretty strong, boss,"** Kuiku said, sounding a little worried. Shirken looked up at his ally and shook his head.

" **You three are so pathetic, just go up there and deal with him,"** Shirken said, after he finished loading the weapon. **"I'll drop in when I see my chance."**

The three scavengers flew up to meet Vegeta as he came in and they surrounded him. Vegeta smirked to himself and powered out his aura, hoping to blind them for a second. They all backed off, shielding their eyes. The Prince shot towards the larger one, expecting him to be the toughest opponent and attempted a barrage of punches, aimed low. Tufa blocked with his lower two arms and held Vegeta in place with the upper arms. Shibo then charged in and knocked Vegeta away, only for Kuiku to be there ready. The snake-like alien caught Vegeta with his tail and held him tight in place.

That's when Shirken shot up to the Prince and shot something into Vegeta's neck. Almost immediately, Vegeta fell unconscious. The trio began to laugh as Shirken turned and descended to the ground.

" **Load him onto the ship, let's get out of here."**

Vegeta was taken on-board and imprisoned in the ship's brig. They soon blasted off, leaving Noca behind, presumed dead. They re-entered space and blasted off quickly, but they only narrowly got away. Another ship flew in just a few minutes later. This ship was smaller, but looked like it had a fair bit of storage.

In the pilot seat of said ship was a robot, he had two small blue eyes and a circular shaped mouth that resembled a speaker. He turned to look over his shoulder and called back to whoever was listening.

" **I have scanned the planet,"** The robot said, his voice definitely metallic, but containing some emotion, strangely. **"There does not seem to be any sign of the Scavengers anywhere in the vicinity."**

An alien entered the control room and looked over the robot's shoulder at the screen. The alien had light purple skin and long dark purple hair, it was just a little longer than shoulder-length. He was the same species as Shirken, and was quite tall. He seemed rather hardened and angry. He sighed and turned away.

" **Try again, they must be down there,"** The alien said to the robot. The robot nodded and looked down at the computer again and started to type away. The scan began and seemed to take quite some time. There was almost certainly no life left down on the planet and that was beginning to frustrate the purple-skinned alien. Suddenly, there was a ding. The alien was focussed on the screen now.

" **One life-form found,"** The robot said as he typed away a little more, **"It's a very weak signal, but there is some sign of life."**

" **Is it one of them?"** The alien, clearly the leader, asked his robot ally. Two more beings entered the room at this point. A male alien, taller than the other and rather tough looking. He was also bald. The other, was a small female alien. Green-skinned with white hair. She was younger, perhaps a teen. They stayed a little bit back as the other two checked over the computer.

" **It does not appear to match any previous records, so I do not think it is one of them,"** The robot replied. The leader looked down and crossed his arms.

" **Leave 'em, let's get outta here,"** The leader said, turning away. The robot turned in his seat slightly and shifted uncomfortably.

" **It appears that their life force is draining, they may be injured and in need of assistance,"** The robot said, as if suggesting they help. The leader turned back.

" **The planet is far too unstable, there's no point. Now get on after them,"** The leader ordered, clearly not taking any suggestions from the others. The green-skinned alien stepped forward.

" **Come on, Guida,"** She said, standing in his way. **"Whoever is down there needs our help, and someone just happens to come by. Take a chance!"**

" **I cannot risk that. I have more important matters at hand,"** He said, brushing past the girl.

" **More important than helping people. I thought that's what you wanted us to do?"** She questioned. He stopped, but didn't look back. The tougher looking alien just shrugged. The robot decided to interject at this point.

" **I have narrowed sensors on the energy in question. It appears to belong to a Saiyan,"** The robot informed them. This caught Guida's attention.

" **A Saiyan?"** He said as he rushed back over and checked the computer. Sure enough, his robot was right. **"Damn… ok, take us down."**

The robot saluted and started to redirect the ship and head down onto the surface. Guida still seemed unsure about this, but his allies were happy he made the correct decision. Once landed the occupants of the ship decided to track the signal and find the owner of that energy. Unfortunately, their scanner couldn't narrow the area enough, so they just had a large circle to search around. The green-skinned alien went off on her own, as did the larger, bulkier looking one. The leader, Guida, stayed back in the ship with his robot pilot.

The green-skinned one was close by to a large trench and was looking around the are as best she could. The flow of lava was getting rather dangerous and they would need to leave soon. There was also the added thrill of the thick black clouds that loomed overhead. They wouldn't be fun to fly through. The female continued on, she needed to find this signal, and fast. That was when she finally heard something. It sounded like a loud groan and that caught her attention. It came from the trench.

She rushed to the edge and looked down into it, **"Hello? Anybody there?"**

There was no response, but she was certain that it came from down there. She looked back over her shoulder at the ship and the location of her ally. None of them would condone this, but she jumped down inside the trench to help the trapped person. She slid down the side, trying to grip on as best she could and slow herself down, but it wasn't easy. Eventually there was a piece of rock sticking out that was stable enough to stand on. She landed and looked down to see the young male laying to the side as the lava flow rose higher. This was going to be dangerous.

She dropped down one more time and landed next to the body. This was her first time seeing a Saiyan and wondered what made them so special, but she just shook her head and started to move him, but realised that he was very injured. There were some burns on his left leg and a lot of blood coming from that arm. She needed help.

" **Niku!"** She called out, before activating her tracker. Up above, the large alien, Niku, noticed the tracker come alive and turned around to make his way in that direction. He rushed over and dropped down to help lift the boy out. They got up to the top of the trench and went back to the ship. Niku and the female entered and immediately took the Saiyan to their medical bay.

Guida turned to the robot, **"Airen, perform a tech-scan. We need to see if he has a ship."**

The robot did as he was told, but the scan came up as a strong negative. Guida sighed and slumped back in his seat.

" **Get us outta here,"** He commanded the robot. Airen saluted and the ship took off, blasting off into space once more. Once the ship was on-course Guida stood up. **"Airen, set the ship to auto-pilot, go check on the boy."**

" **Yes, sir,"** Airen said as he stood up and rushed back to the medical bay. He entered the room to see the female sitting there trying to clean up his wounds. The robot placed a hand on her shoulder. **"Talia, you should step back and let me scan him to see what can be done."**

Airen put his hand over the Saiyan and got to scanning.

" **It is remarkable. His cells are regenerating on their own. He is naturally re-healing himself. Outstanding,"** Airen said. Talia looked at the boy and wondered what he would be like once fully-healed. **"It is best we leave him now."**

Airen went off to continue piloting the ship. Guida had decided to head to his quarters and rest, while Niku was sitting not too far from the medical bay, just in case. Talia stayed there though. She didn't know if leaving him completely alone would be a good idea.

A couple of hours later, the boy woke up. He wasn't very happy to find himself in a ship surrounded by strange aliens. He doesn't recognise them and assumes they were the ones who attacked him. He didn't power up, but he tried to sit up. Talia instantly held him down.

" **Woah, woah. Calm down! You're safe!"** Talia said, getting a little worried. Niku rushed in and did his best to hold him down.

" **Let me go!"** Noca said, getting angered. He looked at Niku and his eyes flashed teal, but Niku passed it off. Noca knocked Niku back and sat up, taking a deep breath. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and saw that he was no longer Super Saiyan 2. Being unconscious like that must've knocked the energy out of him. Noca tried to stand but soon noticed his leg was slightly burned. **"What happened to me?"**

" **You were trapped down a trench on that damned planet,"** Niku explained, **"You're lucky that Talia here found you."**

Noca looked to the green-skinned alien and nodded. **"Talia,"** he mouthed to himself as he tried to move some more. Talia stepped forward to help him, but Noca brushed it off. **"Where is Vegeta?"**

Niku looked to Talia and then she looked back to Noca.

" **There was no one with you. You were the only one down there…"** She explained. Noca shook his head.

" **No… he must be out there. Our ship, what about our ship?"** He asked. Talia shook her head.

" **You were the only thing we could find,"** Talia explained. Soon they were joined by Guida and he had his say.

" **Those scavengers probably stole it. Probably have your friend as well,"** Guida glared at Noca and the teen Saiyan felt uneasy. He shifted in his spot on the bed, but then looked back to Talia.

" **Thanks for helping me, but I need to go,"** Noca explained as he finally stood up.

" **And where do you think you'll be going in the middle of space?"** Guida said, Noca looked into his eyes and glared. **"We'll take you to the nearest spaceport, you can make your way from there. With any luck, we'll find those scavengers there."**

" **We're after them too,"** Niku followed up, he had a deep voice, but sounded friendly. **"We're following them to the traders' outpost on Eoz."**

Noca finally started to relax and sat back down. He took a couple of breaths and levelled out his thoughts. Talia looked him up and down and narrowed her eyes. Guida just stood there, looking down at the ground.

" **Guess we should introduce ourselves,"** Niku said, **"I'm Niku, this is our leader, Guida and the girl that saved you, Talia."**

" **Nice to meet you, I guess…"** Noca said, rubbing his eyes.

" **And I am Airen, the robot pilot!"** The robot said, barging into the room and holding his hand out for Noca to shake. The teen was taken by surprise and was leaning back.

" **His name is actually AIR-THREE-EN (AIR-3N), but we call him Airen,"** Talia explained. Noca shook Airen's hand and nodded awkwardly. **"You should probably rest."**

Talia left the room after that and so did Guida, followed shortly by Airen. Niku was the last to go, after giving Noca an awkward nod. The teen took a deep breath and lay back down. He may as well get a little bit of sleep while he could. He would have plenty of chances to ask more about them once he had a little bit of rest.

He just hoped that Vegeta was ok.

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed this. Some interesting characters, eh? To be honest, the new characters introduced in this are adapted from characters that were meant to appear in my spin-off. They will become important as time goes on, so I hope they will be well received. They will get plenty of character development in the future and I am planning for them to have their own arc or story at some point, just to give them a backstory._

 _Either way, hope you liked what you read. I know it's shorter than the previous chapter, but the next one is longer so... look forward to that._

 _Next Time... Chapter 21: Outpost Conflict_


	21. Arc V: Outpost Conflict

_Hey friends! New chapter here, long one as well. Give it a read and leave a review! Thanks._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 21: Outpost Conflict**_

Noca was resting up in the medical bay, but he wasn't one for sitting around and doing nothing. Even though there was no place for him to train he at least needed to get up and move about. Even if it was just checking out the ship, and maybe talking to the others, it was something at least. The teen stood up and stretched, but he felt a sharp pain in his leg. It hadn't quite healed right. His arm was significantly better though. Noca wiggled his leg about, but that wasn't a good idea. At least he could become accustomed to the pain though.

Noca stepped out of the medical bay and took a stroll up towards the cockpit. He saw the robot up at the front piloting their ship. They were moving very, very fast. Faster than the Capsule-Ship could go, but that was expected. Space travel seemed vastly more common than Noca had expected. That wasn't surprising when you think about how the Cold Empire used to get around. As Noca entered the cockpit properly he noticed Talia to his left. She was sitting in a chair behind some sort of computer, but she looked rather bored. Noca nodded to her.

" **Good to see you up and about,"** She said, not bothering to look up from the computer screen. Noca didn't say anything and continued forwards to the front of the cockpit.

" **So, where are we going?"** Noca asked. It seemed like an entirely relevant question. Airen turned around in his seat and looked at Noca.

" **We have already told you that,"** Airen said as he turned back to face the front. Noca's brow furrowed and he didn't know what to say to that.

" **The trader's outpost on Eoz,"** Talia answered. Noca looked over his shoulder and nodded again.

" **Thank you. I'm new out here in space… I don't exactly know where I am right now,"** Noca explained as he took a seat himself. He continued to look forward out of the window. He still had something else on his mind. **"So, I'm after them because they have Vegeta, but why are you guys chasing these scavengers?"**

" **They took something of ours,"** Talia said as she shut off the computer she was on and walked over to Noca. Leaning on the back of his chair, tilting it back slightly. **"Well, Guida's to be specific. We just tagged along… it's a long story."**

Noca nodded and looked forward again. Talia glanced down at him and walked around to stand in front of him. She glared at him, but Noca didn't budge. He just looked up and smirked.

" **So, what's a Saiyan like you doing out here?"** She asked. Noca chuckled and looked to the right, shaking his head. Talia didn't really appreciate this.

" **Vegeta and I are looking for something…"** Noca scoffed and then looked back at Talia, **"It's a long story."**

Talia rolled her eyes and walked off. Noca just watched her leave, not really knowing what to do with himself now. He looked forward to Airen, but realised that the Robot may not be the best company. Really, Noca should continue to rest up so he can be ready for when they arrive at this outpost. Noca stood up ready to leave, but then Airen spoke up.

" **The Scavengers know the location of someone that Guida has been trying to hunt down for a long time,"** Airen explained. Noca stalled and turned around. He wasn't overly fond of the word 'hunt' being used. That meant that either a fight or a killing was going to occur at some point. Noca would've questioned further, but decided against it. **"Do not worry, Noca. We will save your friend and acquire what we need."**

" **Yes, we will,"** Guida said, now standing in the doorway and looking right at Noca. He was still untrusting, but Noca simply nodded to the group leader. He just hoped that Vegeta was ok.

* * *

Meanwhile, the large Scavenger ship was currently soaring towards the Outpost. Down at the brig of this ship, inside one of the cells, lay an unconscious and injured Saiyan Prince. Vegeta started to stir and move about, eventually waking and sitting up. He couldn't shake the splitting pain that had taken residence in his head. His eyes took a second to adjust to the new environment, but it didn't take long for the Prince to realise he was in a cell, and then he started to remember what had happened to him.

He tried to get up, but found that his hands had been bound behind his back. He tried his best to break out the bindings, but it was no use. They were military grade. Vegeta managed to get to his feet and charged for the bars on his cage at full speed, and full strength. That didn't seem to be a good idea, not when he was suddenly being electrocuted by the bars. The Prince fell back to the ground and shook his head, the pain feeling worse now. He looked up at the bars and growled in anger. He stood again and walked to the bars to look around.

A door opened at the end of the room and someone entered. It was the one from Dodoria's race. Shibo. Vegeta glared as the fat alien made his way towards the cage.

" **You better let me out of here if you want to be spared,"** Vegeta threatened. Shibo just stared laughing.

" **And what're ya gonna do, monkey?"** Shibo questioned, while laughing out loud. **"You belong in that cage."**

Vegeta calmed himself, but you could clearly see the rage on his face. He didn't want to be in that cage and he wasn't planning on staying very long.

" **Don't get any ideas, Saiyan filth,"** Shibo said, **"We're nearly at the outpost, we'll have some back-up there."**

Vegeta huffed and backed up against the wall watching Shibo as he went through supplies. All the Prince would need to do was set off an energy blast and this ship would go down, but he didn't want to risk his own life. He would have to take a page out of Noca's book and be patient. He closed his eyes and planned to bide his time. Apparently, they would be arriving somewhere new very soon, so the Saiyan Prince had to be prepared to fight his way out.

Eventually, they landed, and doors to the brig opened again, and in stepped the leader of this crew. He walked up to Shibo, not bothering to spare a glance at Vegeta. The Saiyan kept his eye on this new presence. He didn't look overly tough, but there was something about him that told Vegeta he was composed, this could mean there was strength hidden within. The Prince would need to be wary.

" **Head out into the port,"** Shirken ordered Shibo, as the others entered. **"I need you to go meet with our contact, but you two."**

Shirken turned to Kuiku and Tufa as they stood to attention, showing that they may have a military background. Vegeta furrowed his brow at this. Their armours did have similar styles to some of the other factions within the Cold Empire.

" **Kuiku, I need you to get to work on that map, find out what it's for…"** Shirken said, basically waving Kuiku away. The Serpent-like alien nodded and headed off, leaving Tufa. **"Grab whatever supplies you can from the nearby stalls, here's some credits. See if you can sell some of this stuff too."**

Tufa took the credits, nodded and walked over to pick up some of the boxes and began to load them onto some sort of hovering platform. Shibo had not yet left.

" **What do we do about that one?"** Shibo asked, pointing at Vegeta in the cell. Shirken turned to him and then looked at the Prince's ship.

" **We keep both for now, I think they may be worth more than we think,"** Shirken glanced back to Vegeta, **"To someone…"**

Shirken waved Shibo away and stood in the same spot for a second. Shibo helped Tufa load some more stuff and both left the ship at the same time. Shirken waited to be alone and then turned to face Vegeta. He walked right up to the cell and stood close to the electrified bars.

" **Your armour?"** Shirken said in a questioning fashion, **"It's reminiscent of Cold Empire attire. That specific style usually catered more to Saiyans. Is that what you are? A Saiyan?"**

Vegeta looked up and glared at the alien.

" **Of course, you are, it makes complete sense,"** Shirken walked over to Vegeta's ship. **"We were all part of the Cold Empire. Different parts, perhaps, but we all served Lord Freeza, I heard he was resurrected."**

" **Well, fortunately he's dead, once again. Both times he was killed by a Saiyan… and most recently, me."** Vegeta finally spoke up, and it would have to be to brag. Shirken chuckled, but had nothing more to say, He just walked away. Vegeta leant back and looked down to the damage he had sustained on that Planet. He needed to recuperate soon.

* * *

It didn't take much time for Noca and his new allies to arrive at the Eoz outpost. Noca looked out of the window down at this new place and was surprised by how many ships were flying in and out of the port. The Saiyan was in awe for a second, but the ship landed quickly and settled. Noca was immediately to his feet and moved towards the exit. Niku stood up and grabbed his shoulder.

" **Woah, where are you off to, in such a hurry?"** The large alien asked, half a smirk on his face. Noca moved his shoulder to get Niku's hand off of it.

" **I need to get out there, find those scavengers… and Vegeta,"** Noca said. He was determined to get on with his task, but that didn't seem likely as Guida stepped up.

" **You don't even know where you'll be going,"** Guida told the boy. Noca looked over his shoulder, back at Guida, but he wasn't pleased.

" **I have good senses, I am sure I'll find Vegeta,"** Noca responded, preparing to walk off again. Guida just chuckled.

" **It's a shame that I have a plan then…"** The leader said, leaning against a chair. Noca stopped and slowly turned around.

" **Fine… what is your plan?"** Noca asked, even though he clearly couldn't care less.

" **I don't want to run at them in a panic. I don't want them to have a chance of getting away. They have an informant who works on the dock. We just find him, and he'll take us to them,"** Guida explained. Talia and Niku looked from their leader, to Noca and then nodded. Noca looked at them all and shrugged his shoulders. **"Talia, you go with Noca and see if you can find him."**

Noca looked back to the green-skinned girl. She rolled her eyes and brushed past Noca. The Saiyan nodded to Guida and followed after Talia. Guida stood there for a second and appeared to be pondering something. Niku walked over to him.

" **Get us some more supplies… I have a feeling we won't be back for a while,"** Guida instructed Niku. The larger alien nodded and moved off to do what he had been told. Guida stood in the same place for a second, contemplating something. He shook his head and walked off to his quarters.

Noca and Talia were already out and making their way through the port. Noca was still fairly mesmerised by this new locale. It was truly like nothing he had witnessed in his life before, but that was because this was the first time he had been in space. There were lots of little stalls with various aliens selling various types of foods or trinkets. Some had parts for spaceships or other bits of technology. Noca was interested in taking something back for Bulma and Bra to look at, but didn't have any money to spend out here.

Talia made sure to keep him moving along and did her best to keep him from getting too distracted. The girl was keeping her eyed peeled and focussed on finding this informant, but Noca didn't appear to be of any help to her. She was about to start complaining to him, but remembered that Noca didn't even know what the informant looked like. She turned around to let him know, but Noca was standing at a stall looking at stuff.

" **And you say this is a delicacy on your home planet,"** Noca said as he tried to swallow something he had been given as a free sample. Judging by his face Talia could tell it was something he didn't like the taste of.

" **Will you hurry up,"** Talia said walking over in a huff. Noca looked at her and made a face of disgust, she didn't want to admit it, but Noca's face amused her and she almost let a full smile cross her face. She remained composed and grabbed Noca's wrist, walking off quickly with the Saiyan in tow. **"You can't keep getting distracted."**

" **Sorry, it's my first time somewhere like this,"** Noca apologised, sounding genuinely sorry, but Talia didn't say anything in response. **"Why do you need me so close to you anyway, I don't need protection."**

" **Yes, you do,"** Talia scoffed, **"You said yourself, it's your first time somewhere like this, you don't know what these freaks are capable of."**

Noca looked around, but he wasn't convinced. He just shrugged his shoulders and continued to follow the girl. Eventually they arrived at a bar and Talia walked in first. Noca stalled for a second to look around and then followed on.

Upon entry, Noca was greeted by a rather unfortunate looking alien. He had a large, scarred head. Very wide, blue eyes and a large mouth with few teeth. Noca gave him an awkward smile and stepped past him. Now he got a better view of the rest of this bar. There were tables full of strange looking aliens of all shapes and sizes. Noca tried not to stare at any of them and simply made his way to the bar, where Talia was standing. The Saiyan stopped next to her and looked at all the drink options. Talia glanced over at him.

" **Do you want something?"** She asked him.

" **Uh… yeah, I guess…"** Noca turned to face the bartender. **"What's the strongest thing you have?"**

The bartender didn't even answer Noca. He just poured Noca a glass of some sort of green liquid. He then took Talia's order and served it to her. Talia paid the man and started to sip at her drink. Noca took in the scent of his drink, it didn't really have something recognisable. It wasn't a bad smell though. Noca was about to drink it when he noticed that loads of people in the bar were watching him.

" **Why are they watching me, Talia?"** Noca asked his ally. She looked around and then at the glass.

" **It's the drink… it's probably far too strong for you,"** She responded. Noca just chuckled and downed the drink in one. Talia went wide-eyed, she was worried about what the effects may be. Some people in the bar stood up and moved an inch or so closer to Noca. It was as if they expected him to die.

Noca put the glass back on the table and looked up at the bartender, **"Is that it?"**

The bartender grunted and walked off to serve another customer. Other people in the bar turned back their drinks slowly, but they appeared to be wary of Noca now. Talia was surprised, but she couldn't stifle the little laugh she let out.

" **Anyway… we need to find this informant,"** Talia said as she stood up to take a look around. Noca quickly stopped her.

" **Um, I don't know what he looks like,"** Noca said, smiling at her in a goofy way. She shook her head and smirked. She started to tap at the device on her wrist and soon an image came up. It was an alien with a small trunk instead of a nose, he had a mouth hidden under that trunk and had two eyes sticking up out of his head like antennae. Noca raised an eyebrow. **"Creepy…"**

" **Well, I'm going to take a look around the bar, you just wait here for me,"** Talia instructed before heading off. Noca sat there and looked around from his seat at the bar. Talia didn't take too long to scout out the bar, but by the end of it she hadn't managed to find anything new or peculiar. She was beginning to get a little frustrated with her futile efforts. She returned to Noca's side and put a hand on his shoulder.

" **Come on, there's nothing here. We may as well leave,"** She said, then turned around and walked towards the exit. Noca stood up and followed her, taking a quick glance around as he left. They got outside and stood there for a second. Talia looked around, through the crowds, trying to find something… anything. Noca just looked at her, not really sure what to do now.

Noca was about to say something to his new ally, but all of sudden she pointed and yelled.

" **There he is!"** She said, before breaking into a run and rushing towards her target. Apparently, the commotion drew some attention and the alien turned to look at her. He certainly seemed panicked by this and stumbled to the side before running off as well. Noca saw them both get off into the distance and he attempted to use Instant Transmission to get after them, but he couldn't. The teen was finding it too difficult to get a lock on that alien's energy, even Talia's for that matter. He had left it too long, he needed to find a quick way to try and catch up to them. He just hoped Talia could manage on her own for now.

Talia was running as fast as she could through the large crowds, but she wasn't managing to break into enough of a sprint. She knew she could be fast enough to catch up to the ridiculous alien, but the crowds were making it difficult to navigate and find small gaps. Meanwhile, the alien was just pushing people out of the way and making sure to use his strength to push through. He stumbled a little, almost falling on his front but managed to keep himself up and keep going.

Talia moved on and managed to slide through groups and squeeze through any tight gaps she could spot in the crowds. The alien informant was beginning to lose distance with Talia strong on his tail, but he did his best to avoid her catching up with him. He knocked over one of the shopping stalls. Talia was very close behind and couldn't move out of the way quick enough to avoid the falling stall and tripped over it, falling forward on to her front.

She slowly pushed up and broke into yet another run. She had fallen behind, but had to keep on going as best and as fast as she could. The informant stops to look back and see where Talia had got to, but only to see that she was catching up again. The runner quickly headed down an alleyway and turned a corner once down there. Talia spotted him and reached the entrances of the alley, skidding to a halt and sprinting down there, avoiding any dumpsters or pieces of rubbish on the ground. She reached the end and turned down towards the informant and noticed he had reached a dead end.

Talia stopped running and started to walk down a little slower. She had him cornered now. The informant turned around and looked towards her, looking rather shocked by what was going on. He wasn't ready for this. He looked down at the ground and then up at Talia.

" **You've got nowhere to run,"** She said, smirking. She finally stopped and placed both her hands on her hips. The informant looked down again, quickly glanced all around him and then charged forward, kicking a piece of garbage at the girl and he then jumped onto a dumpster. Talia looked back and watched as the informant moved rapidly to grab onto a ladder, climb and then quickly jump from the ladder to the other side and climb onto a small roof.

Talia cursed herself for stopping and quickly followed up. She reached the roof and saw that the informant had broken into a faster run and was jumping from roof to roof. She started sprinting again and followed his path to the best of her ability. The informant dropped down to a lower roof, landed on a balcony, rolled forward a little and then leapt across to another building. Talia rushed to the edge and watched the balcony fall as the informant left it.

She made sure to avoid falling down there and looked for a new path. The informant, meanwhile, had climbed to a higher point and looked across to Talia. He smiled and started laughing. Talia glared at him and wanted to find a way to get across. The informant began to taunt her and Talia couldn't deal with that. She spotted a sort of power line between the two buildings and rushed to it. The informant didn't think much of it.

Talia took a second to position her right foot, looked up, and then burst across it in a powerful run. She made it to the end and without losing her balance, but the informant had started running off, yet again. Talia was very close to finally catching him, but the informant began to fire his gun back in her direction. She avoided the shots and watched as the informant tripped over a loose panel and fell down on to a lower roof. Talia reached the edge and looked down to see him roll away and run off quickly.

Talia dropped down, took a little stumble, but then managed to run again. The informant was heading towards a crowd once more, but took a quick look back and ran into someone by accident. He fell back on to his ass and looked up to see Talia's ally, Noca, standing there. The Saiyan shook his head. The informant lifted his arm, ready to fire his gun, but Noca kicked it away and stood there with his arms crossed. Talia finally caught up.

" **Took your time,"** She said to her new 'friend' before lifting the informant up and holding his arm behind his back. **"Tell us where those scavenger scum are?"**

She did her best to sound menacing, but the informant just started laughing. Talia didn't like this and thrust him forward into a wall. Noca rushed up.

" **You don't want to injure him… he may not talk after that,"** Noca explained, trying to talk some sense into her. Talia looked to him, saw the seriousness in his eye and nodded. She didn't want to delay finding the scavengers and rescuing Noca's friend anymore. The two of them took the informant back to the ship.

* * *

As ordered by Shirken, Shibo had arrived at the spot he was designated to meet with the informant. The scavenger stood around for a little bit. He knew exactly who he was looking for, but for some reason the guy was nowhere to be seen. Normally he would already be there waiting to meet someone, but this time… this time was different, and Shibo was concerned. He lifted his communicator to his mouth and contacted Kuiku.

" **Hey, the informant isn't near you guys, is he?"** Shibo asked, clearly feeling nervous about the answer.

" **No, why would he be?"** Kuiku replied. This wasn't what Shibo wanted to hear. He hung up the communicator and started to look around a bit more. He moved away from the spot and pushed through crowds trying to find what he was looking for, but nowhere. This alien informant wasn't exactly unnoticeable. He was pretty unique in appearance. Shibo cursed himself and quickly headed back to the ship. He would have to speak with Shirken about this.

* * *

Noca and Talia returned to the ship and immediately took the informant to Guida. He had no weapon, no way out. Guida had him right where he wanted him and he was ready to do whatever it would take to get the location of the scavengers out of him. Talia dropped him to the floor and stood back as Guida stepped forward. The leader knelt down and lifted the informants head up to look at him.

" **Where are they? The ones you were supposed to meet?"** Guida asked, getting straight to the point. The informant just stared back, but Guida wasn't in the mood for intense silences. He simply backhanded the informant across the face and grabbed him by the throat. **"Where are they?!"**

Guida had yelled into the informant's face and he certainly started fearing for his life.

" **Docking bay 94…"** The informant gave up, almost instantly. Guida dropped him to the ground and stood up straight. Noca turned around and started to head off.

" **Where do you think you're going?"** Guida asked, walking after him.

" **We need to go and get Vegeta,"** Noca answered. Guida caught up with him and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.

" **Without a plan?"** Guida questioned, Noca stopped and pulled out of Guida's grip. He turned to face the older alien. **"We need to strategize. We can't just rush after them. They'll be expecting something after their informant went missing."**

Noca looked down and nodded. Guida was right. They did need to rush, but they still had to have a plan. It could be dangerous otherwise. Noca looked up at him, a serious expression on his face.

" **What's the plan then?"** Noca asked, needing answers right away. Guida turned away and started thinking on it. He didn't currently have an idea, but he would soon have one, he hoped. Noca didn't want to wait for something they needed to act quickly. **"Well?"**

" **Bay 94 is on the other side of the outpost, we don't want them to hear or see us coming,"** Guida explained, leaning back on the door frame. **"I think we should wait until it gets a little darker, only a little though."**

Noca looked away and didn't appear to be very happy. He walked out of the room and stood alone for a second. Guida took a couple of steps forward and stopped.

" **Noca, we will help your friend… but we have to be smart about this,"** Guida explained, just to soothe Noca's concerns. Noca turned and nodded to Guida before heading off back to the quarters he had been allocated. He thought it was worth getting in some rest before they were ready to go and fight the scavengers.

About an hour passed them by and Guida had decided to get the crew together to explain their plan.

" **We'll wait until it's dark so that they can't see our ship. We're gonna get Airen to fly around and box them in, making it hard for them to leave…"** Guida explained, but Airen stood up to interject with something.

" **This ship has a weapon, a weapon that will be able to temporarily disable their controls,"** the robot suggested, but Guida shook his head.

" **That might draw too much attention… unwanted attention,"** Guida suggested.

" **But it makes it impossible for them to leave until we have what we need,"** Talia butted in, supporting Airen's idea. Guida looked over to the young girl and then over to Niku. The large fighter just nodded, showing his agreement. Guida sighs.

" **Fine… we'll do it that way, the rest of us will approach on foot,"** Guida explained further, **"Airen, we'll give you the signal when we want you to come in."**

The crew were all in agreement about the plan, and the sun was already starting to set. It would soon be dark enough for them to put the plan into action. Noca was ready for it. He was prepared to go in, full power, and get Vegeta back. This was not how he had expected this quest to go, it had severely taken them off track.

Soon enough, it was time. Noca and the crew headed off through the docks and made their way towards Bay 94. In the meantime, Airen took the ship into orbit, ready to descend when he received the signal from Guida. It didn't take them long to reach 94, and once they arrived they made sure to stay in cover and monitor the situation. Guida used his binoculars to see what the crew were doing. They were just loading on their supplies, so it was likely they had arrived just in time. Noca was ready to advance, but Niku put an arm out and shook his head.

" **Wait for Guida's call,"** The larger alien said in a hushed tone. Noca sighed but nodded, understanding the situation. Guida looked over his crew and then over to the others once more. He reached his left hand over to his right wrist, ready to call in Airen. One last look over to the crew to check they were ready. All three of them nodded to Guida, and he nodded back. It was time.

Guida pressed the button and they could slightly hear the sound of their ship's engines as it closed in. The scavenger crew weren't fazed by the sound and continued loading the ship, but their attentions were certainly grabbed when a spotlight suddenly shone down on them.

Kuiku and Tufa looked up, clearly taken by surprise. They grabbed their rifles and immediately started firing, but it was clear that the shields were up on the ship. Airen aimed and fired the stun weapon and all the systems of the scavenger ship shut down immediately. And all the systems did mean all the systems.

Inside the ship, the power cut out as Shibo continued to organise the storage bay, which happened to be where Vegeta was also being held. Out of nowhere, the door of the cage Vegeta was being kept in opened and the Prince started to move out.

" **Well, looks like I'm free, and you're in my way,"** Vegeta said, smirking and walking towards Shibo. The large alien started chuckling.

" **Your hands are still bound and you're injured… you can't hurt me,"** He taunted, hoping the Prince would back off. Vegeta started chuckling, but that soon grew into a bellowing laugh as he shot towards the alien and started kicking him.

Back outside, Shirken had finally got out of the ship to see what all the commotion was about. He saw that he men were firing up at a ship. He looked at the ship and thought he recognised it, but couldn't place it in his memory. He looked down at his crew, ready to shout an order, but that's when he saw Kuiku get hit from behind. The tall alien stumbled forward and saw that it was just a rock. Shirken looked over to see where it came from and saw that three people were heading towards him. Two of which, he recognised.

Shirken walked down the ramp of his ship.

" **Don't worry about their ship, attack them!"** Shirken ordered, pointing at the enemies. Kuiku and Tufa turned around and started firing their weapons on them. Even Shirken advanced on them, ready to join the action.

Guida lifted his communicator to his mouth as he walked forwards. **"Talia, get on the ship, get what we need and save Noca's friend."**

Still hidden behind the boxes, Talia lifted the communicator to her mouth. **"Copy that, boss."**

She peered over the boxes and watched as Niku took on Tufa, Kuiku leapt towards Noca… and Shirken clashed with Guida. It was in this moment that Noca learned something new about Guida. He was the same race as the Scavenger leader. A question for later. Talia, meanwhile, found the perfect moment to come out of cover and make a break for their ship. She looked over at her allies once more, making sure she wouldn't be seen, and then sprinted towards the ship.

Noca was busy taking on Kuiku and realised that these aliens were stronger than he realised. He hadn't yet transformed and didn't really want to, but knew it could really help him. Kuiku was very fast and hadn't given Noca much of a chance to get an attack in. That wasn't to say Noca was losing, in fact, he hadn't even been hit yet. Noca leapt up and over Kuiku, but as he did, the alien turned around and tried to throw a punch at him. Noca dropped down, avoiding the punch and went for the alien's legs. Kuiku jumped over and tried to whip Noca with his tail. The Saiyan jumped back narrowly avoiding it.

Niku and Tufa were in a proper tussle. Both of them being the bulky fighters in their teams. While Guida and Shirken were in an all-out fight. Punches and kicks flying between the two. Talia seemed to be the one that had it easy, going into an empty ship. Almost… empty ship.

In the storage area, Vegeta was still trying to fight Shibo with his hands bound. Vegeta was still doing well enough to stay unharmed, but he was still feeling a little weakened and his injuries were causing him some discomfort. He leapt up and attempted to kick Shibo, but the alien grabbed Vegeta's leg. He slammed the Prince down on the ground and pulled out a gun.

" **Sorry, but I have ta kill you now,"** Shibo said, laughing to himself. Vegeta grunted and tried to swing around, but as he did someone entered the room and kicked Shibo back into the wall. Apparently knocking him out. She immediately turned to Vegeta and broke his bounds.

" **I'm here with Noca, we're rescuing you,"** Talia explained. Vegeta was still wary, but happy enough to be free. She rushed over to the Capsule-ship and was about to press the emergency release for the bay, but Vegeta stopped her.

" **Wait, don't do that,"** he said, knowing there was an easier way to get that ship out of here. She was a little confused. Vegeta walked over to the ship and pressed a button on the side, capsulizing it. Talia just raised an eyebrow. Vegeta pocketed it and looked over her shoulder, **"What's your name?"**

" **Talia. Sorry, but you should get out of here, I have something else to do,"** Talia explained before rushing off. Vegeta watched her leave and the looked around to see if there was anything he could take. He finally made his way outside and saw that there was a lot of fighting going on. He took a moment to watch Noca, but then Guida spotted him.

" **Vegeta, get on our ship!"** Guida called out, pressing a button on his wrist and pointing at the ship. Airen brought the ship in lower and opened the ramp. Vegeta leapt up on the ship and entered.

Meanwhile, Talia was still inside the ship and rushing through the halls, making her way towards the control room at the top. She stopped upon hearing the sound of something opening. She was under the impression that the ship had no power. Apparently, there were some sort of guard robots that activated in the case of emergency. They had some form of electrified staffs and luckily there were only two of them. Talia backed up and then unsheathed her own two blades that had been hidden on her back.

She rushed forward at them and started slashing with her blades and blocking the electrified staffs. She did her best to dive past them and then swung around severing their heads and stabbing through their bodies to make sure they wouldn't move anymore. She was proud of her work and rushed on. She eventually made it to the control room and ran up to the main computer. She sheathed her blades and started rebooting the main computer, making sure to not reboot the whole ship's systems.

Talia scoured through the ships systems looking for what it was that she needed. She lifts her wrist to her mouth and started to contact the ship.

" **Airen, I need you to temporarily open all communication channels. I've found what we need… I'm gonna transfer it right away,"** Talia explained. Airen gave her an affirmative and told her he was ready. The girl immediately transferred the files and was ready to leave the ship. She turned around and was immediately greeted by some more defence robots. Talia took her swords out again and leapt up, jumping onto one of the computers and pouncing towards the robots. She swung her swords as she went past them, slicing them up and landed, falling into a roll and getting back to her feet. She immediately ran off, making it outside and joining the others. Upon seeing Talia, the crew knew it was time to go. They all started running towards their ship and jumped on. Airen closed the ramp and turned to fly away.

Shirken turned to Tufa, **"You, get in the Dart and get after them,"** he ordered his man. Tufa quickly ran inside of the large ship and boarded a smaller, one man ship. Apparently, it was called the Dart, and that was appropriate as the ship was shaped like one. He powered up and shot off after the enemies. Shirken re-entered his ship and started trying to power it up, but there was nothing happening. The controls were still down. He noticed that the main computer was still open and files had been taken. Now he knew what had to be done.

He managed to get his communication channels open and got in contact with the Dart. **"You know what you need to do, Tufa. Kill them."**

Tufa accepted the order and continued to chase after Guida's crew. All of the crew entered into the control room to see if they were in the clear.

" **Unfortunately, not…"** Airen said, **"We are being chased by one of them. They are occupying a small, one-man ship."**

" **Can you shake them off?"** Guida asked, just wanting to get away.

" **I can, but it would require me to navigate through the outpost, to try and confuse him,"** Airen explained as he hit the thrusters and spun the ship around, flying into the city. The Dart did good enough to catch up, being small had its advantages. Airen tried to keep the ship higher above the outpost, but the Dart opened fire on the ship, meaning that Airen had to manoeuvre and head down, actually into the city. The Dart swung around and headed right after Airen. Tufa continued to fire his weapons.

Airen performed a spin to avoid the blasts as best he could. Luckily the shields were still up and working properly. Airen took the ship lower and was flying past all the buildings and doing best to avoid any other small ships flying through. Tufa, however, didn't care and continued to fire the weapons, destroying smaller ships and hitting buildings. There were giant screens and billboards with advertisements that were getting hit and destroyed. They would collapse and fall down on to the streets below.

Some of the billboards and screens ahead of Airen were getting hit and falling towards the crew, but the robot did his best to navigate through. Some of the rubble got in the way and Airen couldn't see properly, but at the last minute noticed they were getting close to some buildings. Airen quickly turned right and managed to swing around and continued flying straight. The Dart turned and continued to follow after them.

Due to the destruction being caused some police ships had started to come and try to take down the two ships. The Dart continued to fire the weapons and started to take down some sort of signal tower. The tower started to fall towards Airen's ship and he was moving so fast that this would be very dangerous for them. Airen had to fire their weapons to break through the falling building. They managed to come through basically unscathed, but the back of the ship gets knocked by some rubble and they become unbalanced for a second.

The Dart managed to get through the smallest gaps, while the police ships can't slow down on time and crash and explode. The Dart fires a rocket once in open space and it turns out to be a homing rocket. Airen notices that something had locked on and knew he had to make evasive action. Airen spins the ship and then shoots up and makes lots of erratic turns. The rocket manages to stick very close, but seems to be catching up. Airen spins again and shoots back down towards the ground, but turns up soon enough and flies along the street.

Airen realises that they aren't making any progress with getting rid of the rocket. He hits the thruster again and flies right towards the end of the street, where there happens to be a building. The others on-board start to become a little worried that they will crash, especially with the rocket keeping very close. At the very, very last minute Airen turned up, shooting back into the atmosphere, but the rocket was so close that it didn't turn in time and crashed into the building.

The crew started to believe they were in the clear, but out of nowhere the Dart appeared behind them and continued to fire. Tufa, believing he was smart, continued to fire at towers and buildings around them, hoping they would collapse on them. Considering both ships were flying up, it would put both in a tough situation. The rubble started to fall down in large quantities and Airen had to make a hard decision. He cut out the engines and let the ship fall back. Tufa was shocked by this action and had to avoid the ship as it fell towards his. Airen turned on the engines once past the Dart and blasted off again.

Tufa had to turn and fly away at a speed as well, fortunately for him, he managed it. That's when he started to look around and see where the crew would go to, but they were nowhere to be found. They got away. That would be a hard conversation to have with Shirken once he returned.

Meanwhile, Airen had taken the ship out of orbit and was ready to blast off, using the hyper-drive. They needed to get to a safer location.

Tufa returned to Shirken and went straight to the control room. Shirken turned in his seat and glared at his ally.

" **The slippery little bastards got away,"** Tufa said, sitting back in a chair. Shirken stood up and pulled out a pistol, shooting it right next to Tufa's head. The large alien fell out of his chair and backed away.

" **You're lucky I didn't kill you. But it's only because I learned something about the ship we took,"** Shirken started explaining. The others all looked at him in confusion, **"It was from Earth… and they were Saiyans, so… we have new information for Yamo, and his friend."**

Tufa stood up, **"But what did they take?"**

" **They copied the coordinates and map, but I'm not entirely sure what else,"** Shirken explained, **"Luckily, it wasn't too much and we should be able to deal with things as they happen, but we will see them again."**

* * *

Guida and his crew had finally managed to get to a safe distance away from the Eoz outpost, and took the time to relax. Vegeta needed a little bit of time to recuperate and rest on the journey to the new outpost in orbit around planet Zarile. Once they arrived Vegeta was completely healed and Noca said they should leave right away.

" **Why are you in such a rush?"** Guida asked, as Noca and Vegeta exited the ship and headed towards their own one. Noca stopped and Vegeta walked on a little more before stopping and turning to face his younger ally. Noca looked at the Prince and then turned around to address Guida.

" **We're on a quest to find planet Sadala, the original home planet of the Saiyans,"** Noca explained. Guida raised both eyebrows and turned to his crew.

" **That doesn't sound like a safe journey,"** Guida started. Noca looked up at the team leader and furrowed his brow. **"I don't think it's a planet that will be easily accessible. It has been lost for centuries now… nobody believes it actually exists."**

" **It has to,"** Noca interrupted, **"We need to get there… we just have to."**

Noca really couldn't explain the full story to this crew right now. He couldn't go into all of it. He didn't need them to understand why he had to do this, he just needed to get back on his ship and go. Noca turned around and Niku step forward.

" **You should join our crew,"** He suggested. Noca stopped and turned back.

" **Sorry, I can't. We both have lives back on Earth,"** Noca responded, smiling at Niku and the rest of the crew. **"Plus, we need to finish our quest."**

Noca and Vegeta turned to start walking back towards the ship, but this time it was Airen that grabbed their attentions.

" **You will most certainly die,"** the robot said, cheerfully. Noca shook his head and smirked to himself. Vegeta entered the Capsule Ship, but Noca turned around and walked back a little bit.

" **Thanks for helping me, us… it was… an experience,"** Noca said to them all. Smiling at them. He landed on Talia and did a little bow, **"Thank you… and I have a question. What was it you took from them?"**

The crew looked at each other and then Guida stepped forward to answer.

" **A map… it belongs to us and will help us complete our missions…"** Guida explained, but he definitely didn't want to say any more. Noca just nodded and turned around one last time.

" **Be careful,"** Talia called out. Noca simply raised a hand as he continued to walk on. He boarded the ship and then they took off, heading back on their quest to find planet Sadala. The crew on the ground watched them go and then Guida turned to walk back to his own ship. Airen followed closely. Niku walked over to Talia and placed a hand on her shoulder. Talia smiled up at her ally and then headed off. They soon took off and headed in the opposite direction to the Saiyans.

…

Guida, Niku, Talia, and Airen will all return…

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I didn't realise I would be able to tell this entire part of the story in two chapters, but there you go. Also, did you pick up on the two Star Wars references in here. One of them was obvious, the other a little more subtle. Why not guess both and leave a review with your answers. Leave a review anyway because I love to read them._

 _Thanks for reading!_

 _Next Time... Chapter 21: Welcome Back_


	22. Arc V: Welcome Back

_I think it's worth saying this is the penultimate chapter of this arc. The finale next week! Enjoy this one._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 22: Welcome Back**_

 _Tuesday 15_ _th_ _June Age 796_

Only a few days passed by since the encounter with the Scavengers and the two Saiyan warriors were still on their quest. Going to the outpost on Eoz had actually done some damage to their travels, not only by delaying them, but by taking them quite a bit off course. It was lucky they still had the coordinates, but it wasn't certain how much longer their supplies would last. Vegeta was very wary about it, but he wanted to get to Sadala as much as Noca, maybe more.

Based on what the computer told them they would have enough fuel to get to Sadala and back to their Solar System. They would still have power to contact Bulma on Earth if needed. They just needed to ensure that they weren't taken any further off course by any stupid little distractions. No more random stops on volcanic planets. Training would all be inside the Gravity Room.

Speaking of which, that's where they were in this moment. Vegeta occupied half, going all out against his drones in a very high gravity, while Noca was on the other side, cross-legged and floating. He was deep in a meditation. Better concentration and focus were the key to an effective fighter. Things were starting to get pretty routine for the two Saiyans. It was going well.

Well… it was. The spaceship started to rumble about, but Vegeta wasn't aware right away, believing it were himself. Noca, deep in meditation, could feel that something was wrong, not quite right. He stayed in the meditative state, but kept his focus outside. That's when there was another big rumble and the ship was clearly hit by something. The jolt caused Noca to open his eyes and fall to the floor, Vegeta hit into the walls.

All of the lights started flickering and turned off, as did the gravity. Suddenly the back-ups kicked in and the lights all went red. Vegeta got back up and went to Noca.

" **Come on, we need to see what the problem is,"** Vegeta said, giving Noca a slight whack and then rushing to the control room. Noca slowly stood up and shook his head. Something wasn't quite right. He followed up to the control room and they looked out to see something they weren't familiar with. There were lots of asteroids, but it didn't seem quite like an asteroid field. They were moving around far too quickly.

" **What is it?"** Noca asked.

" **A storm… this is bad,"** Vegeta answered as he started tapping away at the controls. He took manual control of the ship and tried to turn it away. **"We need to land somewhere… quickly!"**

Vegeta tried his hardest to move the ship, but the power wasn't quite responding the way he needed it too. The ship started to jaggedly move to the right as the Prince attempted to turn around. The storm was beginning to engulf them a bit more. It was getting more and more dangerous. The power flickered on for a bit and the thrusters kicked in, getting them a little further away, but the storm was too close. An asteroid struck the back of the ship and sent it spiralling away. At least they were getting further away from the storm.

Alarms were ringing like crazy and neither of the Saiyans could stay still as the ship spun around. Finally, things started to stabilise and Vegeta was back on the controls.

" **The shields are at critical,"** He informed the teen, and continued tapping away quickly. **"We really need to get away from this."**

" **How much can they withstand?"** Noca asked, stepping forward. Vegeta turned to him and shook his head.

" **No. We are not flying through it,"** The Prince told Noca. He continued to fly the ship away.

" **It's our quickest route, right?"** Noca said in questioning tone. He was serious about it. Vegeta looked at the boy. This kind of reckless attitude wasn't normal for Noca, what was going on?

" **It's the most dangerous route, right now,"** Vegeta replied, trying to talk some sense into the boy. Noca stepped back and sighed. This wasn't good for them. This would severely hurt their journey and make things far more difficult from here on. **"We need to get to a port somewhere and check the damages."**

" **We need to get to Sadala,"** Noca said, speaking definitively. He wanted Vegeta to listen to him. He stepped forward. **"Don't you want to see your home again."**

Vegeta glared at Noca and grabbed on to the back of his neck, pointing the teen towards the computer screen.

" **Look at those fuel levels. We may make it to Sadala, but we will not make it home,"** Vegeta said. The teen forced himself out of Vegeta's grip and stepped back. **"If we turn away now we can get home and then… maybe try again some other time."**

Noca looked down to the ground, breathing heavily. He was clearly unhappy about this.

" **You're not thinking about our families right now,"** Vegeta informed the boy. **"You're far too focussed on this quest… on Kuyato."**

Vegeta walked over to Noca and placed a hand on his shoulder. The teen looked up, finally starting to see a little sense.

" **Come on, Noca. Don't be stupid."**

Vegeta was right. He was the only one seeing sense right now. Noca was blinded by this journey to find Sadala and get as much information about Kuyato as possible. Their journey had been hindered and it was a problem, but they could always try again some other time. Vegeta was right.

" **Ok… let's go home,"** Noca said. He turned away and walked back to his quarters. Vegeta took the ship away from the storm and towards the nearest outpost so he could make any necessary repairs. They had failed their quest this first time around, but it wasn't over.

Exerting all their remaining fuel drives, Noca and Vegeta managed to return to Earth very quickly. Their journey may have taken them 6 months getting as far as they did, but it would only take them a couple of months to get back home if they went at a breakneck pace. (Yes, it's questionable, but this is science!)

 _Saturday 14_ _th_ _August Age 796_

In the lonesome house of the Moori Forest, an entire family slept, but one member of the family was having a restless sleep. Something was getting to her, something… was coming.

Pan sat up in her bed and looked to the window. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something was on its way. The teen stood up out of bed, quietly. She knew her parents would be sleeping, as would her brother, but she needed to see what was going on. She looked out of the window properly, it was already open due to the warm summer night.

She did her best to focus her senses, but it didn't help things. Whatever it was, it was too far away to get a proper lock on it. But it did have a certain familiar feel to it. And the power… well, the power was significant in size. It was almost worrying. The girl shook her head and started to put some clothes on. She intended to discover what it was. It was keeping her awake anyway, so what harm could possibly come from it.

While Pan continued to get herself ready, not feeling the need to rush about it, a space-ship entered the Earth's atmosphere and started to descend down to the ground. The energy was getting so much closer now and Pan felt a bit more now. It wasn't one energy, it was two. Two huge energies and they were familiar to her. A smile crept across the girl's face as she rushed to get ready and shot out of her window. She accidently used too much power and awoke everyone in the house.

Rei started moaning and calling for his parents. Gohan and Videl got up immediately. Videl went to check on her young son, while Gohan went to Pan's room. He saw the window open and felt her energy heading towards the other two. A smirk crept across his face as Videl entered the doorway.

" **What is it?"** She asked her husband, seeing the smirk on his face.

" **Do you feel that?"** Gohan asked, looking at his wife and son. He put his arm around her and placed a hand on his son's head. **"They're back."**

Pan blasted through the sky at a pace unlike any before. She wasn't sure how to feel, but excitement was definitely one of those feelings. She zoomed past scenery, towns and villages, not a care in the world. She felt the ship land and knew it was somewhere around West City. She started laughing to herself and could feel some tears welling up in her eyes as she got ever closer to the location.

The ship had landed safely, but a bit further away than intended. It wouldn't exactly take them long to get back to Capsule Corp., but they could've been closer. Noca and Vegeta stepped out of the ship, the latter pressing the button on the side to capsulize it. Noca looked around and took in a breath of air.

" **Ah, it's good to be back,"** He said, to no one in particular. Vegeta looked at the teen, questioning the situation slightly. He knew that Noca was disappointed about what seemed like a failure, but it seemed that he had grown past it now. The two Saiyans soon felt a power approaching them and the smirk on Noca's face slowly turned to a look of worry. It was Pan. Over 8 months since he last saw her… this was going to be a strange encounter.

The raven-haired girl dropped down and sprinted towards Noca, throwing her arms around him and grabbing him in a tight embrace, as if she would never let go. Noca was a little surprised, but he couldn't deny to himself how happy he was to see her again after all that time. He moved his arms up and wrapped them around her waist, tightening the embrace.

" **I've missed you,"** Pan mumbled into his chest. Noca kissed her on the top of her head and was about to say the same, but Pan pulled back and then pulled Noca into a long, deep, meaningful kiss. Noca sunk into the feeling of Pan's lips on his and he truly felt at home. All the fear he had about seeing Pan again had finally faded away. They had returned.

Vegeta cleared his throat and stepped forward.

" **Save it for later, I want to get home and get a good night's sleep,"** The Prince said, even though he was happy for Noca. He just wouldn't show it. The teen boy still wore the scars of his emotional breakdown, but he prayed silently that Pan would never ask about them. Pan finally got a good look at Noca and her brow furrowed. Noca finally had a chance to drink in Pan and he too was surprised.

" **Your hair?"** they both said at the same time, before laughing simultaneously.

" **I had it cut after you left… and I liked the style so I kept it,"** Pan explained as she raised a hand to it and ran her hand over it. Noca smiled and put a hand on her face. **"And yours?"**

" **I didn't really trust Vegeta to cut it while out there…"** Noca explained, running his own hand through his hair, which was down past his shoulders. **"I hadn't actually noticed until now."**

" **Well, we have to get that cut,"** Pan said, sternly, before laughing. **"But I guess we should both get home first."**

Noca looked into her eyes, smiled and nodded. He was about to say something to Vegeta, but Pan quickly slapped him, hard. Noca stepped back, astounded.

" **What was that for?"** Noca asked, he wasn't angry, just surprised.

" **For leaving without saying a proper goodbye,"** Pan answered. She actually appeared to be slightly angry and upset with Noca.

" **I didn't think you would have wanted to speak to me… I worried that you wouldn't forgive me,"** Noca explained, feeling guilty again. Those feelings had been buried deep within, but he had never forgotten about them, or what he had done to her.

" **I would never stop loving you,"** Pan said, putting her hand on his face. **"I was just too shocked at the time. I knew you never meant to deliberately hurt me…"**

Noca looked away and took a breath, beginning to feel a bit sad now. He held back from letting anything out and soon felt Pan's hand on his own. He looked back down at her and saw her smiling.

" **Let's get home and rest,"** Pan said to her boyfriend.

" **Good idea,"** Vegeta answered as he turned away and blasted off towards West City. The couple watched him go and then took off together. There would be a lot to discuss in the coming days and weeks. Noca already knew which question he was starting with.

How did Pan become so much stronger?

Sunday 15th August Age 796

The next day Noca was told about all the things that happened while he was away in space. It was lucky that the duo decided to stay in for the whole day as they got to spend the time together. Pan started by saying that she got her haircut, finished off her assessments and prepared for her January examinations. Christmas was standard for the Son and Brief families. It wasn't the same without Noca, but they managed to deal with it.

Of course, New Year happened, but none of the teens really got to enjoy it with their revision taking the forefront of their attentions. Before Christmas or New Year happened, Valese finally gave birth to hers and Goten's child. A girl that they decided to name Alexa. Apparently, it was Valese's grandmother's name and meant a lot to her. Alexa was born on the 12th of December. As New Year rolled around, Pan had her exams early in January and got them out of the way. She received her grades for the assessment she had been working on. She passed, with a good grade as well.

Noca expressed his pride in her and her dedication to it. Also in January, Pan turned Seventeen. Noca was sad to have missed her birthday and expressed his sadness at having to do so, but he didn't think about those things before leaving for space. Pan was very forgiving, but joked that he needed to make it up to her at some point. Not just for her birthday, but also for missing Valentine's Day. As February got on, Rei turned 3-years-old, and that was fairly surprising for Noca. He wasn't a baby anymore. Rei was growing up.

Obviously other birthdays happened. Dom turned Seventeen, and Holline and Kiera both turned Sixteen. Also happening, Bra, Dom, and Pan all seemed to get jobs. Not surprisingly, with Capsule Corp. Noca joked that he was the only one to actually earn his job, but Pan said she felt that she deserved her job. Bra and Dom were working in the lab, helping Bulma. Due to their advanced scientific knowledge, it served not only them, but Bulma well. Pan, due to her business course, was handling more of an office job at Capsule Corp., but still managed to spend time in and around the lab. Most of her work kept her at the compound. Except from the occasional visit to the Tower.

Pan had also managed to pass the entirety of her first year with flying colours, as did the other two. Now they were preparing to enter their final year before going off to University, if they did all decide to do that.

The last piece of news. Trunks had finally asked Marron to marry him, but they hadn't set a date as they were waiting for the return of Vegeta before deciding any of that. Surely, he would want to be there for his son's wedding.

" **And… that about covers it all,"** Pan said, as she and Noca lay there on her bed with the window open, letting the wind blow through. Noca took it all in and lay there, with his arms around Pan.

" **Ok, but I have a question about one little thing,"** Noca started. He stayed laying down, but Pan sat up and looked down at her boyfriend.

" **What is it?"** She asked. Noca eventually decided to sit up and sat with his back against Pan's headboard. He crossed his arms and smirked at the girl.

" **How did you get so much stronger?"** Noca asked, Pan didn't know what to say right away and just looked away, but she was trying to stop herself from smiling. Noca noticed this and chuckled to himself. **"That's right, I noticed."**

" **How else does someone get stronger, they train,"** Pan said as she moved to the end of the bed and was about to get off, but Noca quickly moved and pulled her back down onto the bed with him. **"Noca, stop!"**

If Pan had actually made some sort of proper protest for Noca to stop, maybe he would have, but she seemed to be enjoying herself and continued to laugh with him. The two took a moment to lay there once again, but Noca still wanted an answer to his question. He sat up again and so did Pan.

" **So, seriously, how did you get so much stronger?"** Noca asked, again.

" **I just trained with Dad,"** Pan answered, not really thinking she needed to go into actual details **. "Whenever we both had free time or an hour or two some nights we would go out and train."**

" **I'm just surprised Gohan agreed to it,"** Noca said, knowing that Pan had difficulty in the past.

" **It wasn't easy,"** Pan said rolling her eyes, **"But in the end, he couldn't deny me. I wanted to be stronger, I was determined."**

" **I'm glad,"** Noca said, standing up and heading to the door. Pan furrowed her brow and looked at her boyfriend strangely. He turned back to face her. **"The stronger my allies are, the better things will be in the future."**

Pan shook her head, while smiling. Noca held his hand out.

" **Come on, let's go get something to eat,"** Noca suggested. Pan stood up and took Noca's hand before realising something.

" **Do you mean go out, or get something from the kitchen?"** She asked, taking a moment to think about her outfit and how long they had been stuck indoors for.

" **Up to you,"** Noca said, smiling and chuckling, **"I don't mind going out, just need to get ready first."**

" **Let's do it!"** Pan said, sounding quite enthusiastic about that suggestion. Noca smirked and turned around again. **"Let me just get ready and then we'll head into West City."**

Noca nodded as he stepped out of her room, closing the door behind him. Once he was gone, Pan dropped back on to her bed and started laughing and crying tears of joy. She was just too thrilled that Noca had returned to her. Things would hopefully be a lot better for them now.

Noca headed back to his room and decided to get into the shower. He needed to wash that long, long hair of his. He took a moment to look at himself in the mirror first. He stopped, let his smile fade and then looked down at his right hand and at the permanent scaring on his knuckles. He looked into his room from the bathroom and saw the half empty bottle of Saimizu that he had been given.

He looked back in the mirror and took a breath. He knew things would look up from this point. He and Pan would head out, have a nice dinner and then they would both settle into life together. Sure, Noca still had to think about his quest for Sadala and finding more information on Kuyato, but maybe now he could include Pan. We'll see.

 _Thursday 19_ _th_ _August Age 796_

The summer was proving to be pretty boring and both Noca and Vegeta had agreed to take a little break from their training. They didn't think it was worth over-exerting themselves in this moment. They still had plans on increasing the abilities of Super Saiyan 2 and they were doing a good job with it already, but the break would serve them good.

Noca was revelling in the time he got to spend with Pan. Sure, she had work to do at Capsule Corp., but Bulma was more than happy to let Noca come and pitch in whenever she was needed. Granted, the teen had only been back for 5 days at the moment, but still. It was good to know that the option was open. Lord knows he fluffed up his last job by leaving to go to space for eight months. Sure, he could go back, but he was certain that Pan wouldn't be happy about that.

When the group of Noca, Bra, Pan and Dom had finally got a chance to have a break from helping out Bulma they went and sat in the living room together. They switched on the TV and had their lunches while chatting. The TV was just for background noise. No one was paying it any attention. Also, by now, Noca had a haircut and it had been done similar to what Gohan's was like back during the Majin Buu time, only with minor differences. Two locks came down over Noca's forehead, but they were going over to the right side of his forehead. The front was also a little longer and also seemed to go towards the right, but not as noticeably. (Might have a picture one day!)

While they were all sitting there and enjoying their lunches, the TV seemed to change and go to a news channel. Something important, some kind of breaking news. Everyone was a little intrigued…

And then Mr. Satan appeared on screen. Standing in front of a podium outside his mansion. Pan put her head in her hands and Noca shifted to face the TV a little more. An interviewer stood alongside Mr. Satan and seemed to be introducing the Champ, even though everyone knew who he was already. It wouldn't take a genius to guess what this was, but Noca had to admit he was surprised it was happening.

" **We come to you LIVE from in front of Satan Manor to present a very special announcement from the Champ himself, Mr. Satan!"** The interviewer said, as a cheer erupted from the crowd that had gathered.

" **Welcome to my home, I have a fantastic announcement that I am very happy to reveal to you all. That's right, there will be another World's Martial Arts Tournament!"** Mr. Satan declared as another roar erupted from the crowd. **"Here to give you details about the upcoming tournament, the Thirtieth of its kind, is my assistant."**

A man stepped up to the podium as the Champ stepped back and he cleared his throat, preparing to read a statement from the card in front of him.

" **Only a maximum of 64 fighters will be able to sign-up and compete in this new tournament. Round 1 and 2 will be done as preliminary fights, closed to the public and will take place on day one. After the preliminary rounds are complete the lots for round 3 (or the round of 16) will be taken and the fights for the next day will be confirmed. If less than 64 people sign-up then high qualifying students from the biggest dojos and schools will fill the gaps. Each fighter will draw numbers to decide where they are placed on the preliminary board."**

He took a moment to see if everyone had taken that in and prepared with the next part.

" **The rest of the tournament will take place as usual. It will be a knockout based competition with the last fighter left declared the champion by the end of the fifth day. Sign-up opens on August 31** **st** **Age 796 and will close on September 30** **th** **Age 796. The tournament will take place on the week starting July 18** **th** **Age 797. We look forward to your entries and seeing you compete to see who will finally take the belt from Mr. Satan and become the next world champion."**

The Champ stepped forward one more time and held up his belt.

" **This could be yours!"** He bellowed, **"I look forward to watching you all compete. Thank you and Goodnight."**

The champ turned around and walked back inside his mansion, followed by his assistant. Pan shook her head, Noca seemed excited, neither Bra or Dom knew what to say.

" **We'll both be competing in that,"** A voice said from behind the teens. They turned to see Vegeta and he was looking at Noca.

" **You better get training then, if you want to beat me that is,"** Noca said with a smirk. Vegeta smiled back and let out a huff as he walked back to his Gravity Room. Noca sat back in the chair and looked at Pan. **"Are you going to compete?"**

Pan was a little surprised that Noca was actually asking her this.

" **Um, yeah, of course,"** She said, not really sure what to say. She did want to compete, but it felt like Noca had put her on the spot somehow. **"I plan to fight you in this one, for sure!"**

Noca smiled and wrapped his arms around her. She pushed him off playfully, but in their minds, they knew that a lot of preparation was needed. A lot of their friends, family, and allies would compete in this competition. It would hopefully turn out to be a great spectacle, and not end up like the last one.

So, a new tournament coming… that should be interesting. Still little under year to go. Plenty of time to prepare for the worst. Noca would be ready this time. He was planning to win it.

* * *

 _So, that's right. I'm doing another tournament and that tournament will be part of this story, but... it will be arc VII. That's right! Arc VI will be something different. I will announce what Arc VI will be at the end of the next chapter, but I hope it's something you will all be on-board with. If not, I don't care, it's my story._

 _Hope you enjoyed this new chapter and I look forward to reading your reviews. Thanks!_

 _Next Time... Chapter 23: A Different Power_


	23. Arc V: A Different Power

_Hey, sorry about the later upload. I have been very busy and only just got a chance to proof-read this chapter. Anyway, yes, this is the finale of the current arc. More info at the bottom. Enjoy._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 23: A Different Power**_

So, there was going to be a tournament. That was exciting news for a lot of people around the world. Not just in terms of participants, but also people who were planning to attend or even just watch on TV. It was one of the biggest events held in this world. Previous winners include Mr. Satan (of course), Tien, Jackie Chun, and Son Goku himself. However, the last time the tournament was held, well, I'm sure you remember.

Either way, everybody hoped that nothing bad would happen this time around and everyone would have a very good time. The tournament was a time to celebrate martial arts and strength around the whole world. Noca was looking forward to competing again and this time he planned on living throughout the whole thing. Vegeta agreed to compete, as did Pan. Holline wasn't one to pass up an opportunity like this. Goten and Trunks had also made it clear they planned to train and compete, more for fun than glory though. Android #18 toyed with the idea of competing, considering the kind of strength she had, but ultimately opted against it, stating that she would leave it up to her husband.

That's right, even Krillin was going to compete. He said that he had missed the thrill of fighting in those tournaments and the fun of the preparation. The bald monk (yes, he kept up the bald look) was eager to show he wasn't weak. When asked, Yamcha said he had no plans to compete, he didn't want to humiliate himself. Everyone assumed that Uub would be competing. They hadn't seen him in a while, but it was worth assuming that the experienced and powerful fighter would want another chance to prove it all against Noca.

It wasn't certain who the rest of the fighters would be, but that was the thrill of this new tournament. They just had to all hope that they wouldn't be drawn against each other in the preliminaries. That would always be a shame. Maybe luck would be on their sides? Hopefully no crazy Androids would compete and try to kill anyone again.

The tournament preparations were well underway. Pan continued to train with Gohan, who wasn't sure about whether or not he would be competing in this tournament. He would wait a little bit. Besides, Mr. Satan said he would keep spots open for his best students and if one of them were to drop out, Gohan could take that spot. Noca was taking the time to train alone, but didn't hesitate to join in with Pan and Gohan, or with Vegeta from time to time. Goten and Trunks trained together and Krillin had the help of his lovely wife, and Master Roshi.

Everyone that had decided they would compete had managed to sign up on time. It was confirmed that Noca, Vegeta, Pan, Holline, Goten, Trunks, and Krillin were definitely competing this time. It was worked out that each fighter would face two people in the preliminaries before going to the final 16. Now that the deadline was past, the really hard and tough training would begin.

In the months that passed, not much else seemed to really happen, at first. Pan, Bra, and Dom were all back at college and giving it their all to make sure they got into the Universities they wanted. They weren't worried, but they still had to put in some hard work. Pan made sure she didn't let her training slack. Holline decided to stop school and didn't continue as Kiera decided to go to college. With Erasa, they moved to West City so that Kiera could also attend West City College with the others. It was the best in the world after all.

The fact that Holline had stopped school meant she could spend more time training with Noca and even went back to her village to visit her parents. She would give some of the money she earned from her job to them, to help support them and better their lives in that small village. Noca recommended moving them to one of the cities, but they were happy where they were. Noca was also happy that he got time to spend with his almost lifelong best friend.

Also, Trunks and Marron finally had their wedding. They had it in the end of September and went straight on their Honeymoon, deciding to head down South. Upon returning, of course Marron had to be pregnant. They were going to have a baby. Exciting times lay ahead for Trunks as he tried his best to keep up with Goten.

Other things to happen, Noca and Bra finally turned 18-years-old. Big number. Bra had a big party, as always. Got some new things to help with her scientific advances. Noca, on the other hand, family gathering, and late-night drinking with Vegeta. The drinking soon turned to drunk sparring as Noca finally got drunk for the first time in his life. It didn't end well, but at least Noca got sympathy from Pan. Also, it had actually been a long time since Pan and Noca first had sex. They hadn't really found the right time or chance to do it again yet.

Finally, it turned to winter. Noca and Holline decided to take a day off from training and went into Satan City together. It had one of the best malls and Holline recommended they get Christmas presents early. Noca just tagged along for the present shopping because he wanted to spend some off time. Their day wouldn't be ordinary though…

* * *

 _Wednesday 8_ _th_ _December Age 796_

The duo was walking through the mall and every now and then Holline would dip into a few of the shops and scout out something for someone. Noca didn't pay much attention, but if he was called upon for an opinion he did his absolute best to give a good one. The teen Saiyan did occasionally wish for something entertaining to happen, but that wasn't necessarily a good idea. He didn't want something bad to occur.

" **What about this for Kiera?"** Holline asked, holding up a nice blue dress. Noca, hands in his pockets, snapped attention to the red-haired girl.

" **It's nice… I guess,"** Noca said, really not sure of what it was she actually wanted to hear. Holline just sighed and looked at the dress herself. Noca looked away again, trying to see if there was something to entertain him while Holline continued to ponder the dress. The Saiyan looked out of the store and noticed someone walking around, but he looked rather shifty. Noca moved away from Holline and went to check out what it was.

Holline didn't notice Noca leave as she found something else to look at. Noca moved to the entrance of the shop and watched as the young man looked around, seeming to be fairly worried or scared about something. The Saiyan tried to slowly and quietly follow him, but did his best not to make it look suspicious. The young man rushed around a corner and Noca darted to the wall, just to peek around. The man was heading towards what looked like an exit, was he just stealing something and trying to get away?

That couldn't be it, he looked too scared, like something really dangerous was going to happen. Noca looked back to the shop where Holline was and wished for her to stay there, just in case. Noca looked back around the corner to find the man walking up towards him. Noca backed around the corner and took a breath. He hadn't been seen, had he? Noca leant against the wall and took his phone out, pretending he was waiting for someone. The guy looked around again as he came out around the corner and saw Noca there.

The guy made a little flinch at first, but seemed to relax when he saw it was Noca and not someone he knew. Noca looked up, nodded his head in a friendly fashion and then returned to his phone. He continued to watch the man through his peripheral vision. The guy walked off past Noca and towards his left. Noca watched after him, still very suspicious. He glanced back to the shop, but as he did he noticed Holline walking towards him.

" **I decided to get it,"** She said, holding up the bag and smiling. Noca quickly looked to his left again and noticed the guy was gone, Holline didn't understand. **"What's up?"**

Noca didn't answer her he just walked on a little and tried to see if he could spot the young man.

" **Damnit…"** He muttered to himself, turning around and returning to Holline. **"There was a strange guy. He seemed very suspicious. I was going to follow him but he's gone now."**

Holline looked where Noca had been looking and shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't see anything, but could tell that Noca was quite worried about something. **"What was wrong with him?"**

" **I don't really know, but I couldn't feel his energy… his life force,"** Noca explained. Holline raised her brow and looked on again.

" **Should we go find him then?"** Holline said, sounding pretty urgent now. Noca was about to answer her, but both of them were stunned by the sound of a large explosion. It happened very close to them. Noca and Holline turned to face the direction it came from and moved towards it. It had been in the direction the guy went. Some people came running from that direction and the duo could see fire and smoke. Noca rushed towards it, with Holline in tow.

They rounded a corner and saw that a few shops had been destroyed, but the one in the middle seemed to have taken the biggest damage. The guy had detonated a bomb of some sort… or maybe he was a bomb. It was hard to decipher the situation properly. Both Noca and Holline stopped and some security guards came running up to them.

" **Back up, come on now, there has been a huge accident!"** A guard yelled with urgency, trying to get everyone back. Noca wanted to get in there and look. He could see a few dead bodies, but his sense told him someone was alive. He looked at Holline and moved away from the guards. She watched as he performed Instant Transmission and could only assume that he had gone into the fire and smoke. She hoped he would be ok.

Noca appeared in the smoke, right by the side of a very injured person, but they weren't quite dead yet. Noca lifted them up and then used his energy to blast away the fire and smoke. It all dissipated and Noca carried the body over to the guards and the paramedics, as they arrived. The guards went over to try and apprehend Noca, but the teen stepped back.

" **Hey, I just wanted to get a look… hopefully I just saved that person, I didn't cause this,"** Noca said, pleading his case. The guards didn't step away, but they weren't trying to apprehend him anymore. Holline managed to run over to him.

" **What do you think happened?"** She asked, as Noca turned to look back at the shops that were hit.

" **I think someone's trying to make a point,"** Noca stated. Holline didn't say another thing, but the security guards sure were perplexed by these two. Noca went to walk over again, but a hand landed on his shoulder and stopped him. Noca looked around to see one of the guards.

" **Sorry, kid, but we can't let you go back in there. It's a crime scene now,"** The guard explained. Noca nodded and turned away, walking off with Holline. He seemed to be rather annoyed and wanted to actually look at the site and see if there were any clues as to what could have caused the attack.

Noca didn't say another thing to Holline as they headed to West City. Noca was already too confused and worried. Holline didn't try to initiate any conversation with him. She was just as confused as he was and wanted answers. They hadn't said anything to one another, but they would most certainly keep their eyes out on any further developments.

Upon reaching Capsule Corp. they managed to catch the news on the television. The news confirmed what had in fact happened at the event, but not the complete nature of it. It was confirmed that Eleven people had been killed, with only one survivor. The one that Noca had saved. It wasn't confirmed whether or not it was a terrorist attack, or something else, but terrorism was at the top of the list. Perhaps someone had been trying to make a point.

Either way, Noca and Holline would continue to keep close watch over the situation. They weren't about to pretend that nothing happened.

* * *

That same night, somewhere in East City…

It was very rainy and windy in this city, but on the outskirts of the city, where it was less busy, there was an abandoned warehouse. The warehouse wasn't very appealing to look at. There were many renovations needed to make sure this building would even remain standing, but it appeared that nobody cared. Windows were smashed, most of the ceiling was dropping in. Much was missing. It was surprising that the place was still standing.

Rain water was dripping, well actually, pouring, down onto the ground below and seeping through cracks in the ground. As the water fell further down it started to land on yet another ceiling, but this ceiling was far different. It was white and there were no cracks or damages. Down underneath this ceiling there was a huge room. It wasn't empty either. There were many computers on one side of the room, a lot of strange big tubes on one other side, and a large open space in the middle. It was like a test space.

A scientist walked over to the side with the tubes and four of the tubes appeared to have people inside of them. Three males and one female. The first tube the scientist check on had an average sized teenage inside of it. He had messy, spiky dark brown hair. He was unconscious. In the second tube, a taller male. He was older too, but still a young adult. He had short, neat, light brown hair. Inside the third tube, the female. She had long dark blonde hair.

The scientist stopped and looked in at the last tank. The male in the tank was again, rather young, perhaps a teenager. He had some messy black hair that was shaved on the sides. He appeared to be in some sort of distress. The scientist turned around and called out for some assistance.

" **I need some help with this one,"** The scientist called out. On his jacket was a logo that said Alpha Industries. **"Somebody get Teki in here."**

Some minutes later, wearing a black suit, Teki entered and walked over to the tube where the other scientist was standing.

" **I don't know what it is, but one of the subjects is in some sort of distress,"** The scientist explained as Teki continued to look over the tanks and at the young subject. He narrowed his eyes while looking at the boy as he seemed to be having some sort of fit.

" **Well, go back over his records and check to make sure nothing was tampered with,"** Teki said to the scientist, turning around and walking away a little, but stopping and looking at the other young male first, **"We need these four to be ready very soon."**

The scientist stayed in that spot for a second as the subject continued to thrust around inside the tank. He wasn't sure what to really do, he knew no one had been in and tampered with anything. He had been working in there all day and nothing had seemed off until just this second.

As Teki left the room, a couple of armed guards stepped in. The scientist walked forward to enquire, but Teki dropped in for a second.

" **These guards are just here to make sure nothing bad happens,"** Teki informed them before walking off once again. The rest of the scientists in the room were very wary of the guards, but got back to their important work. That one scientist though, he was still worried about the subject in the fourth tube. He walked over and placed his hand on the glass.

The subject, eyes closed, still continued to thrust around and things were looking rather worrying.

" **Don't worry, Jason,"** The scientist said to the young man in the tube. The guy continued to thrust around and it was beginning to get a lot more worrying. The scientist was trying his best to work on the computer and insert some more sedatives into the tank, but this didn't appear to work.

Jason opened his eyes, shocking the scientist on the other side. The young man lifted his hand to the tank and placed it there. His face was half covered by an oxygen tube, so it was hard to read his feelings in this moment.

" **Jason, can you hear me?"** The scientist asked. Jason didn't do anything to show he could hear, or that he understood and he simply ripped off the oxygen mask and pressed his right hand harder to the glass of the tube. The scientist took a step back. Suddenly, it started to light up around Jason's hand and there was a smashing sound as the glass broke and the liquid flooded out.

It all happened with such power that the scientist was flung back into the opposite wall, with glass embedded in his chest. He was bleeding out. Jason dropped to his knees, wearing nothing but a small pair of black underwear that he had on in the tank. He was breathing heavily as the guards approached him and surrounded him.

Jason snapped to attention and jumped up, and as he did the guards started firing their guns at the young man. Jason leapt for one of them, grabbed his head and broke his neck. Another guard started firing his gun at Jason and even managed to hit the young man. The bullets hit his body and Jason stumbled back. He noticed that they had penetrated his chest.

He looked down at his chest, the guard was also focussed on this point. The blood was dripping out, but Jason appeared to be unfazed, as if he had no care of what was happening. Jason seemed to tense and the bullets started to push out of his body and fell to the floor, soon after, his wounds healed. The guard was worried and Jason, again, seemed unfazed. He took a step forward, but more guards flooded in.

Jason was reasonably cautious now. He eyed them all up as they trained their guns on him. Without so much as a pause, the guards all opened fire. Jason put his arms up in a blocking fashion, but he was still being struck and affected by all the bullets. Eventually, once there were no more bullets left in the magazines of the guns, the guards stopped and looked up. Jason let his arms down and started to tense up again. This time, the bullets didn't drop out right away. Another light started to shine around his entire body and the guards started to back up.

They were going to rush to the exit, but didn't get a chance as Jason exploded with power and sent the bullets flying back towards the guards. Even the scientists got caught in the crossfire. There was a lot of blood everywhere afterwards. Jason was breathing heavily and had no idea what to do with himself.

He looked to the other tanks and saw the other subjects. He could've done something to them, but he couldn't stay in that lab anymore. Jason needed to run away and save himself. The subject broke through the doors and rushed through the hallways. He eventually found his way out and was inside the derelict warehouse. He looked around for a bit and took in the location. He was confused, and worried.

There was no more time for thinking though, not when some more soldiers rushed out and started firing their weapons at the young man. Jason continued running away and finally made his way out of the warehouse and into the streets. It may have been a more abandoned part of the city, but there were still some people around that could see the young man, in only some underwear, with blood on his body.

The soldiers continued to follow and fire their weapons, grabbing Jason's attention again and scaring off any civilians. Some nearby police hear what was going on and came to the scene. They pulled right in front of the young man. Jason reacted right away and flung their vehicle right at a building. The vehicle crashed through and after a few seconds there was an explosion, destroying the building and killing anyone inside, presumably. The soldiers stopped as the flames lit up the sky and the streets. They didn't dare fire right now.

Jason took another look back and then ran away very quickly, diving down an alley and taking some time to hide away. The soldiers rushed past and continued moving on, assuming he had gone onwards. Jason looked down the alley and continued on, the rain splashed down on his skin and he needed to find shelter.

Back at the lab. Teki stood looking at the remaining three tanks. A few guards stood around him.

" **Sir, we couldn't find him,"** One of the guards said to Teki. The man nodded back to his guard and walked forwards to check on the other subjects properly.

" **We may need to send out the Android,"** Teki said. The guards looked at each other.

" **Are you sure that's a good idea,"** One of the guards said.

" **It will help,"** Teki responded, **"He will do his job."**

Teki looked on at the other tanks and then turned around, walking off away from the Guards.

* * *

 _Thursday 9_ _th_ _December Age 796_

The next morning, Noca was watching TV at home. Pan was in college and Gohan at work. Videl had some work to do from home as she got back into doing things for Capsule Corp., but made sure to spend as much time with Rei as possible. Noca was doing his best to help out with the little boy.

Noca was watching Rei as he played with some of his toys, but kept an eye on the TV, specifically the news. Rei did want to change the channel to a kid's programme, but after what had happened Noca wasn't about to let that happen. He could only apologise to the boy and hope he would somehow understand. Rei did try to steal the controller a couple of times, but Noca would hold it up high enough so Rei couldn't reach. Pity that the boy had taught himself how to jump high. Noca would often find himself in a tough scenario with the child.

Finally, something came on the news. Something from East City. An explosion in the southern part of the city, near an abandoned warehouse. Noca knew it was worth checking out. He immediately got in contact with Holline to find out if she knew anything about the situation. The two agreed to meet in East City as soon as possible.

Once the duo arrived and met up they immediately headed to the southern part of the city, to where the event had happened. They arrived and noticed a very sombre tone. Many people were on the streets looking towards the destroyed building. There were police lines all around it and police-officers trying to get the crowds to disperse. Noca moved forward and started looking around. He glanced over the abandoned warehouse, and the other derelict buildings. Not much to see.

Holline also went around to check things out. This was an investigation. They both wanted to find more information about where these attacks were coming from. Eventually, Holline spotted something that Noca needed to see.

" **Hey, Noca, get over here,"** She called out. The young Saiyan turned around and walked towards her. He put a hand on her shoulder and looked where she was pointing. **"Look, bullet holes… someone was firing a weapon."**

" **But the only deaths reported were the ones in the building… and the two officers in the vehicle,"** Noca explained as he looked around. That's when he spotted something that caught the light of the sun for a second before it went back behind the dark clouds. Noca walked towards it and picked up a bullet shell. He examined it and then looked ahead at the building that had exploded.

" **What is it?"** Holline asked.

" **The sight of bullets and bullet holes suggests there was a struggle,"** Noca started explaining, **"This wasn't something to try and grab attention… this was a fight."**

" **Not a fair one…"** Holline stated. Noca glanced back at her and she realised she needed to explain herself. **"The bullets are only on one side… meaning that whoever they were firing at didn't have a weapon."**

" **Maybe… but someone threw a police-car into a building…"** Noca stated as he looked back at the building, **"Now how do you suggest that happened?"**

Noca didn't expect an answer and instead walked forward a bit more and continued to look around. He glanced over at an alleyway and could see a bit of blood. He grabbed Holline's attention and walked down the alley, towards the blood. Noca bent down and started sniffing, wanting to get the scent.

" **Can you really track like a dog?"** Holline asked, not really seeing this trait from Noca before.

" **Yep, Saiyan's can track using their sense of smell,"** Noca quickly explained before walking on up the alley and towards the scent. He caught it very quickly and carried on, following the trail as best he could. He turned a corner and felt the scent getting stronger. Holline followed closely behind him. Noca eventually stopped. **"Someone's around here… and they match this scent perfectly."**

Holline went on the defence as Noca took a couple of steps forward. Noca could spot someone's leg, they were hiding. The Saiyan stopped and prepared for anything dangerous.

" **Hey!"** Noca called out, to get their attention. The leg moved in and Noca soon heard some shuffling. A young man popped his head around a large dumpster and looked at Noca and Holline. He slowly stepped out, he appeared to be very dirty, but uninjured. There was blood on his face and the clothes he was wearing appeared to be old and tattered. Noca looked in his eyes and could tell he wasn't all there in his mind, and the Saiyan couldn't sense any life energy. Noca slowly walked forward.

" **We're not here to attack you,"** Holline said, trying her best to help the situation, **"Just tell us where you came from and who did this?"**

" **He can't understand what you're saying,"** Noca said back to Holline as he continued forward. Noca held his hands up, **"Look, we're unarmed…"**

The young man looked Noca up and down and then decided something. His eyes narrowed and he grit his teeth. He let out a growl and charged for Noca. The Saiyan tried to back up and block it, but the force of which this person charged forward was too powerful. He knocked Noca off of his feet and threw him back across the alley and into a dumpster.

Noca bounced off and hit the ground, on his front. He slowly pushed up and looked up to see Holline standing there, trying to move towards the young man. Noca tried to tell her to back off, but he was in quite a bit of pain and only coughed. That attack had winded him.

" **Please… we don't want to hurt you,"** Holline said as she continued to shuffle towards the young man. He started to back up and broke into a run, trying to get away. Noca jumped up shook off the feeling and rushed on after him. He passed Holline quickly and she had to react quickly to follow after them. The guy came out of the alley onto a busy street and jumped across cars to get to the other side.

Noca emerged from the alley and attempted to do the same, but the young man fired his energy attack at one of the cars and it lifted up, flying towards Noca. The Saiyan caught it and managed to put it down safely, but another came his way and he was knocked back by it. Holline jumped out and saw the young man running off down the street and she followed on, but was still on the opposite side of the road.

Noca managed to get back up and jumped up high. He was on top of a building now. The Saiyan ran across the rooftops, keeping an eye on Holline and this strange young man. Noca was sure he would be able to get to a point where he could leap down and catch up. That wasn't to be as the young man turned back and fired an energy blast up towards Noca. The Saiyan couldn't react in time and the blast hit the edge of the building, knocking Noca down onto the street.

He jumped up and focused on Holline's energy. The next second, Noca was running alongside Holline as they rushed through the crowds and tried to catch up with this man. He was proving to be a tough opponent, and they weren't even fighting fairly. Soon enough, the teens found that the streets were getting busier and the buildings bigger. They were getting more into the city which meant things were getting more dangerous.

Eventually, the young man stopped when he realised he was in the middle of a very large crowd. He looked around and tried to find a route for escape, but that didn't seem to be easy. He turned around and finally, Noca and Holline caught up. They moved into attack stances and showed they were ready for a fight now.

" **We said we didn't want to hurt you,"** Noca stated. He wasn't happy, **"Yet you run from us."**

" **Calm, Noca,"** Holline said. She needed Noca to remember that they weren't intending to hurt this young man, but they wanted to help him. Noca looked to her and nodded. The guy stepped forward and was ready to fight as well.

" **This is your last chance to calm down… and stand down,"** Noca said, definitively, **"Or I will make sure you stay down."**

Holline glanced at Noca, but that lapse of concentration proved to be bad when the young man sprung forward and was about to attack Holline. Noca noticed his target in time and got in the way, kicking the young man back at the ground. He slammed down, but spun around and got back to his feet. He broke into a run right away and leapt at Noca.

The Saiyan caught the young man and went to throw him down on the ground, but the weight shifted and Noca found himself being thrown towards the crowd. He managed to get control of his power and hovered above the crowd before heading back in to attack the young man. He didn't bother to transform or power up, he already had enough power to take this fool down.

Noca landed in front of the young man and knocked his right arm away using his left arm and then punched him in the chest using his right. The young man stumbled back and then Noca jumped forward, striking with a right hook and then grabbed onto the back of the man's neck with his left and threw him forward. The young man fell down and rolled back. He got back to his feet and moved forward. He came in with his right, ready to attack, but Noca caught that with his left hand and started punching with his right. He got a couple of hits in the gut before the young man finally caught the fist and kicked back.

Noca stumbled and was about to move forward until he noticed the young man had stopped, and appeared to be a little worried. He wasn't looking at Noca though. The Saiyan turned around and noticed there was a large man standing behind him. He was familiar, but Noca couldn't place it right away. The man looked down at Noca with a robotic stare and then walked past him, towards the young man. He was very bulky and muscular and was bald, but that face… where had Noca seen it before. Even Holline seemed to know it, but she seemed worried.

" **Jason,"** The new man said, sounding vey monotone, **"You need to come back home, you should not be doing this."**

The young man, Jason, backed away slightly, clearly fearing this man. Noca was still trying to place the face. He stepped forward, but the man turned around, holding his arm out.

" **Please stand back, I do not want to hurt you."**

Noca looked up at him and furrowed his brow. He clenched his fist and wanted to attack, but felt Holline's hand on his wrist. Noca looked down and then up at her.

" **Please tell me you recognise him, Noca…"** Holline said in quite a hushed tone. Noca looked from his friend to the man standing over him. He wasn't focussed on Noca, instead his attention was on Jason. Noca was still trying to place it, he wanted to say it was… but it couldn't be him… could it?

" **Delta…"** Noca said, under his breath. He looked back at Holline and she seemed to agree. Either way, he was definitely one of Omega's androids. The last time Noca came face to face with one he died. Noca was wary now. Before Noca had a chance to say or do something else, Jason had jumped up and rushed forward to attack this large android.

Delta didn't hesitate and caught Jason around the throat and thrust him down on the ground. Jason clearly couldn't breathe. Noca took a few breaths and looked back at Holline. She didn't know what to say or do.

" **Stay back,"** Noca said and then he charged for Delta. The large android didn't react in time as he was knocked away from Jason. Noca didn't think he would end up defending the young man, but this is what it had come to, with Delta the opponent. Delta managed to stabilise himself easily and knocked Noca away with relative ease. His fight wasn't with the Saiyan. He needed to defeat Jason and take him back.

Noca faced Holline and looked to Jason. She saw what Noca was implying and nodded before heading over to the young man. He appeared to be very scared of Delta and was backing away. He dropped to the ground and curled up into a ball. Noca continued to stop Delta from advancing towards Holline and Jason. The red-head finally made it to Jason and tried to ensure him that everything was fine, but he seemed to be in quite some distress.

" **Please, Jason… calm down, we can help you,"** She said, quietly and calmly, but he was clearly unaware. Noca continued to hold Delta back, but kept his attention on Holline and Jason, unsure of what was happening. Jason finally knocked Holline back and stood up. He looked towards Delta and Noca and started to power up. Lots of energy was drawing in a Noca could finally sense it. He stepped forward a little, even Delta stopped attacking.

Jason seemed to finally calm down, but that didn't last long as he exploded with a rage, sending out loads of energy and destroying loads of windows with the wave. People in the streets were also knocked over and some managed to run away. Holline was knocked back and Noca moved as quickly as possible to catch her and get to cover.

Jason screamed out as his power erupted, but Delta managed to push through it, grab him, sedate him, and get away without being seen by anyone else. Finally, things died down and Noca and Holline revealed themselves. Holline had a cut on her forehead and some blood was dripping down. Noca started tending to the wound, cleaning it, but looked back to where Jason had been.

They were gone. Both of them. Noca looked around and seemed very disappointed to have let them get away. He looked back to Holline and she seemed to be apologetic, but Noca quickly went over to assure her it was ok.

" **They got away… but it's fine, I'm sure we'll see them again,"** Noca explained. He didn't want Holline to think that she was in anyway at fault. The two of them agreed that it was best to get away quickly. They didn't want to be implicated in any of these damages. It helped that all the civilians were confused and distracted by that last attack.

Noca and Holline didn't encounter any more problems in the next few months, it was strange, but not concerning. Things did continue to happen around them though. Christmas came and went, as did a few more birthdays. Pan turned 18-years-old and got to spend a very nice evening with Noca. Once again, the duo didn't have intercourse, the same goes for Valentine's. It seemed as if neither of them found the right moment to do it again. It was also strange considering they were still at home with Gohan, Videl, and the young, impressionable, Rei.

Speaking of Rei, he also celebrated a birthday, turning 4-years-old and he was going through preparations to start school in September. Dom, Holline, Kiera all turned 18, 17, and 17 respectively. And Dom, along with Bra and Pan, finally completed College and had been accepted into West City University to study the courses of their choice. It was a big move for their lives and they were all hoping to become independent and move out of their homes to live together. Noca was up for joining them. Luckily, he still had some money saved up, but not really a lot to help with a house.

And the last piece of time-keeping, Marron finally gave birth to hers and Trunks' baby. A boy, named Nate, born on June 15th Age 797.

Those were the things that had happened and now… well, now… it was Sunday July 17th Age 797 and everyone was preparing to head to Papaya Island for the 30th World's Martial Arts Tournament, kicking off with the preliminaries the very next day.

What lay ahead? Find out next time on Dragon Ball AG: A Warrior's Path!

* * *

 _Good chapter? I hope so. I did something different with it and introduced a concept that will hold more importance later on in the series. I haven't explained the concept yet, but it will be touched upon a bit more in this Story. As for Arc VI, the next arc, well..._

 _Arc VII will be The World's Martial Arts Tournament, but the next one, Arc VI will be Prelude to Darkness. That arc will feature origins and stories about the crew we met in this arc. Guida, Airen, Talia & Niku will all return in the next arc, as will the scavengers and some more very interesting characters. I don't plan for it to be too long, but it will have importance and I think the placement is appropriate._

 _I will be taking a break to plan and write all of the next arc before I start uploading it, but I hope you will all be patient with me._

 _Thanks for reading and I hope to read some lovely reviews._

 _Next Time... Arc VI: Prelude to Darkness_


	24. Arc VI: Who We Are - Part One

_YO! I'm back. Finally. After all that time. I never really took a break from this story. I've been busy planning out this arc and have managed to write the first three chapters. All of which are backstories to the main characters in this arc. Guida, Talia, and Niku are the main characters of this arc. You may think it doesn't have much relevance in this story, but it has huge relevance. You will find that out as the arc goes on._

 _Anyway, I hope you enjoy this, the first of the backstory chapters!_

* * *

 _ **Arc VI: Prelude to Darkness**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 24: Who We Are – Part One**_

Noca and Vegeta boarded their ship and flew off, leaving Talia and Niku standing on the platform. Talia shielded her eyes from the sun as she looked up and watched them fly on. Niku turned to walk away, but stopped and glanced back to Talia.

" **Come on,"** He said, ushering her along. Talia turned and nodded, following as they boarded their ship and also took off from the platform. The two of them walked in and sat down in the control room. Talia took her seat at the back and Niku sat in the front central seat next to Airen. The robot turned and looked to Guida.

" **Where to now, sir?"** He asked. Niku turned around as well. Guida nodded and walked over to a central table. He pressed a button and a holographic map appeared. Guida pointed at the red spot that was blinking on the map.

" **That's where we're going,"** Guida said, looking up at Airen. Talia stood up and slowly walked over. Guida looked over to the young girl as she stepped up to the table and took a breath. **"You ok?"**

Talia looked up and quickly nodded. Guida sniffed lightly and turned back to the map. Niku pressed a button and it zoomed the map into a planetary system.

" **So that's where he'll be..."** Niku muttered. He cracked his knuckles and turned around. **"Then what are we waiting for, let's go!"**

Niku dropped back into his seat and started to punch in the coordinates. Guida looked over to him and then nodded to Airen. The robot took his seat next to Niku and the ship started to move away from the planet. Talia sat back in her chair and looked over as Guida sat in his larger chair in the middle. He glanced to her one last time.

" **Don't worry, we'll finally achieve what it was we set out to do. We will find him… and he will pay,"** Guida said. He faced forward and looked out into space. **"Airen, punch it, let's go."**

Airen hit a button and their ship blasted into hyperspace. Where were they going? What was it they were planning to do? And why? To find out, we'll have to first go back in time a little. To keep this easier, we'll stick to Earth's Age system. So, let's go to early Age 795. The same year that Freeza returned to life.

* * *

 _Early Age 795 – Planet Arechi in the Sutak System_

Four soldiers clad in Cold Empire uniforms walked towards a town in the middle of a desert. The two in the centre were about the same height, they were fairly tall. One was bulky and muscular while the other was thin. They seemed to be allies. The other two were similar in height, just average for typical adults. One of them had a head shaped like a stretched egg and his skin was a very pale colour. He had black eyes and was wearing a scouter that covered both. He had no hair and his head was pretty wrinkled, but he didn't appear old.

The other average height fighter had a stereotypical alien shaped head and two large eyes, but the pupils weren't too big. He wasn't wearing a scouter and his skin colour was a light grey. The thin tall fighter had long black hair, tied into a ponytail that dropped down to his lower back. He also had a black moustache and bushy eyebrows. His skin colour was red, dark red. His eyes were yellow. The last of these Cold Empire soldiers… was Niku.

The four soldiers entered the town and started to look around at the small aliens that occupied it. Some of them cowered away from the soldiers. Parents drew their children inside. Some started to bring food up to the them and offered stuff. Niku grabbed some fruit from one of the men and nodded to him. The other tall soldier simply swatted the food away and continued walking.

" **That's uncalled for, Akar,"** Niku said quietly turning to look at his ally. Akar simply chuckled and turned to his friend. He placed a hand on his shoulder guard and tugged on it slightly.

" **Lighten up, Nik,"** Akar told his friend, **"We're soldiers, we can do what we want."**

Niku smirked and shook his head. He also pulled his arm away from Akar and walked on ahead a little more, leaving Akar with the other two soldiers. Their names are Rian (The typical alien looking one) and Hawi (The stretched egg).

Akar held a hand up to stop the other two and they watched as Niku walked on alone. He looked around at the buildings, as if looking for something. Akar watched this, but he then turned back to the other two.

" **You guys, keep an eye on the perimeter. We don't want any problems occurring,"** Akar ordered, but not in a commanding way. These guys were clearly all friends. The two of them nodded and took off to search around. Akar walked up to Niku.

" **Are we certain this is the place?"** Niku asked, as he looked around the area. **"There's nothing here…"**

" **Hey, it's what Sorbet said, right?"** Akar replied, shrugging his shoulders. Niku shook his head and walked past his friend. Akar chuckled. **"Why are you so serious all of a sudden?"**

" **I don't like this… it's not the kind of mission Sorbet usually gives us,"** Niku said as he looked at the people, now going by their everyday business, while keeping an eye on the two soldiers. **"There's nothing here…"**

" **It's not about what the planet has, plus that's what we're here to do,"** Akar reiterated it, his smile fading. **"But I'm not happy about it either."**

Niku looked to his friend and sighed. He walked on through the town, heading towards the largest building. Akar watched him and backed towards the entrance they walked through. This small town was one of the biggest settlements on the planet. It was essentially a barren wasteland and they had no defences against big enemies.

Niku came to the foot of the largest building, which must have only been three floors, and wasn't very wide. The solider shook his head against before walking up the small steps towards the door. He stopped before walking in and reiterated the point he made earlier…

" **There's nothing here…"**

Niku entered the building. Akar turned his back on the town and faced out of the entrance. Not long passed and soon Niku emerged from the building, dragging along with him someone of importance. He was yelling for the Cold Empire soldier to stop, but Niku didn't listen. Akar turned and walked to meet with Niku in the middle. The people of the town had gathered to see what was happening.

Niku dumped the man on the ground, **"This is their leader,"** he informed Akar.

" **Of the town?"** Akar questioned.

" **Of the planet…"** Niku responded. The both looked down at him and their hardened looks had softened. They didn't feel right about this. **"He's the richest of them all… they have nothing."**

Akar looked up at Niku and sighed. **"We have a job to do, Nik."**

Niku nodded and aimed his energy gun at the small alien's head. Akar stood over the alien to make sure he didn't attempt to run away or anything. **"Tell us, do you have any riches we should know of?"**

The small, old alien shook his head and tried to back up, but only hit Akar's legs. He was scared and panicking. Niku bent down to be face-to-face with him.

" **We're here in the name of the Cold Empire and we are going to take your planet to be sold on,"** Niku explained. **"This is our job, don't make it harder."**

The old man continued to shake his head and babble in his alien language. Niku took out his translator so he didn't have to know what the alien was saying. He was trembling slightly, but he closed his eyes and pulled the trigger. The alien leader was killed and everyone in the town started panicking. Akar and Niku stood there doing nothing.

" **We usually take care of armies… we're told to kill generals and captains…"** Akar said, to no one in particular, **"But Sorbet wants us to kill innocents?"**

" **This is our job... you said it yourself,"** Niku said, turning away and walking to the exit. Rian and Hawi landed back on the ground in front of Niku,

" **What now?"** Rian asked. Hawi looked over and saw the panicking people. Niku looked down at his allies.

" **You know what happens now, Rian,"** Niku stated as he turned and reloaded his energy gun. Hawi took out his rifle and looked at the aliens. The men, the women… the children.

" **We kill them all?"** Hawi said, a questioning tone in his voice, but they all knew what had to be done. They all got their weapons out and turned to face the town… and opened fire.

It took less than an hour for the team to wipe out the town and explore every part of it. There were some mines on this planet where they collected coal that was used for power and fuel. The soldiers put the call out to their allies that the planet was safe and had no major defence systems or armies and a large Cold Empire ship came in to deal with the rest. The commander of the mission gave the four-man team their leave.

Niku, Akar, Rian and Hawi all boarded their ship and flew back to their base of operations on Freeza Planet 420. They didn't talk to each other the entire journey and once they returned they each went to their individual quarters to rest up. They had to be ready for their next mission which was to transport the riches they found on their previous mission. They were taking them to Sorbet's ship for him to add to his collection.

None of the four men slept well that night. Sure, they had killed innocent people before, but that was if they fought back. This time, their mission was primarily to kill innocents and it didn't sit well with any of them. Something would need to be done.

* * *

The next morning the quadruple woke up and got ready for their simple transport mission. There wasn't much that needed doing, any old Cold Empire soldier could do it, but apparently Sorbet wanted it to be them specifically. Akar was the pilot in the group and flew the ship, with Hawi as his co-pilot. Niku and Rian would just get to sit there and relax, they were the lucky ones.

They took off and got on their journey very quickly. None of them were in the mood for any conversation on this trip, and they just followed the route that had been plotted out on their navigation system.

While on their travels, Akar glanced down at the computer a few times and thought back to the treasures and riches they were taking to Sorbet. **"Hey, Rian,"** Akar said, kind of looking over his shoulder at the same time. Rian came to attention, **"Check out what's in the back, give me an idea of how much is there… and if it's all secure."**

" **Sure,"** Rian said with a sigh, as he stood and walked into the storage section of the ship. Hawi looked over to Akar with a questioning furrow of his brow, while Niku kept an eye forward on his long-time friend. Rian returned and dropped into his seat, **"There's about twenty million credits worth, and yeah, it's all secure."**

" **Good,"** Akar muttered to himself as the ship started to move a little to the right, off of the original course.

" **What are you doing?"** Hawi asked, trying to keep up and eyeing up the navigation control for a second. Niku leant forward in his seat and Rian gripped on to the side nervously.

" **We're going somewhere else. Sorbet doesn't need these…"** Akar replied as he continued taking the ship completely off in a new direction. Niku stood up and walked forward.

" **Akar, we can't… Sorbet will hunt us,"** Niku said, trying to talk some sense into his friend, **"We'll be arrested… or worse."**

Akar didn't listen. He continued to fly the ship, facing forward. Hawi let go of any controls and he stood up as well.

" **Are you guys going to stop me? Hm… are you going to arrest me now?"** Akar asked them all, not looking. Hawi looked to Rian and Niku and sat back in his seat, turning off the navigation system. Rian cleared his throat and relaxed into his seat. Niku looked to the two of them and was worried. Akar looked up at his friend.

" **What are you going to do?"** Akar asked Niku. The Solider remained standing and staring down at his friend. He wore worry on his face and had one of his fists clenched. **"Are you going to stop me?"**

Niku unclenched his hand and sat back in his chair.

" **Good,"** Akar muttered again and he blasted off quicker than before. He didn't know where he was taking them, but they had to do something. They couldn't stand by any longer. Akar had finally had enough of the Cold Empire's way and he was taking a stand. He just couldn't do it without the help of his friends and true allies. He was too scared of the consequences.

Time passed on their trip and they finally reach a new planet. Akar lands the ship and tells Rian to get off, and hands him his share of the treasures. The planet is out of the Cold Empire's hands and he should be safe there. They bid their farewells and travel on again. At the next stop, Hawi gets off. The same stuff happens. Akar takes the ship on to the next location.

Akar and Niku sit on the ship together. They don't say anything for some time. Until Akar finally decides to say something.

" **I'm sorry, Niku."**

Niku turns to face Akar.

" **I didn't mean to just drag you all along… I just had enough…"** Akar explained. Niku put his hand on his friend's shoulder and looked him in the eye.

" **It's ok… I understand… we were driven too far…"** Niku started, **"We had always been driven to do stuff we weren't always ok with, but this time was far different. I understand you making this decision, and you know I would follow you forever."**

" **And I you,"** Akar said, looking over to his friend again one more time. They soon arrived on the next planet. They took off the next share of treasures and put them down and one of them stepped off.

Akar walked out onto the surface and sighed. He turned around as Niku walked down the ramp.

" **I guess this is where we part ways,"** Akar said. Niku walked up to his friend and they quickly hugged. They were very, very good friends. They had fought together for such a long time. This was a hard goodbye for both of them.

They pull back from the hug. Niku composed himself and walked away. He boarded the ship and took off. Akar watched as the ship left his atmosphere and smirked to himself. Niku put in the coordinates for his planet and blasted off instantly. There was no sense in dwelling on anything right now. He just needed to go.

* * *

A month passed by, Niku still had all his treasures and hadn't bothered trying to sell them on just yet. He was just living quiet for some time, hoping to be forgotten. He had hidden the ship as well. Hopefully he was safe.

That was until one day, a ship came down close to where Niku was. It was a two-man transport with some storage and living space. Niku could see the ship from his shelter, but not whoever came out of it. He grabbed his rifle, put on his clothes (just an old cloak to keep himself hidden) and walked out of the shelter. The planet he was on was quite dusty. He walked through the dust, trying his best to look through his goggles and keep attention ready for whoever had come for him.

Suddenly, a guy wearing some sort of robot helmet and a black cloak leapt towards Niku, brandishing a blade and tried to slice at Niku. The former soldier dropped to the ground and rolled back, firing his rifle forward. The black cloaked person dodged and hid behind a box. Niku was making sure to be completely at attention now.

" **Who are you?"** He called out.

" **I'm here to kill you and take those treasures you stole,"** The person said back. His voice sounding quite metallic, as if through some sort of voice-changer. **"I was hired by Sorbet."**

Niku cursed to himself and came out of his cover, firing his weapon towards the voice. He dived behind yet another box for cover.

" **I've already killed three of you, you're my last one,"** The person yelled out. Niku stopped for a second and started thinking back on it. Was he telling the truth? Hawi, Rian… Akar… they were all dead. Niku jumped out of cover and took off his cloak. He started walking towards this person and was firing his rifle, almost non-stop.

The black cloaked guy jumped out, dodging all of the energy from the gun and charged towards Niku, knocking his rifle out of his hand and dropping down on top of him, his sword directed towards the former soldier's neck. Niku closed his eyes, thinking he was about to die, but suddenly there was an explosion and the guy jumped off and looked up.

There was a new ship arriving and firing down on the ground, aiming at the cloaked guy. They weren't here for Niku. The soldier tried to get to his vehicle, but three more black cloaked figures with swords walked over. Niku was getting worried. One of them stood in front of Niku to stop him moving.

" **I'll keep an eye on this one,"** One of the cloaked figures said, **"You two go after Yamo Niha."**

The other two cloaked figures charged off after this Yamo Niha guy, but he moved quickly, knocked them away and jumped in his own ship and flew away. Niku soon felt himself being dragged away towards another ship. He wasn't being killed… was he being rescued? Or was this going to pan out much worse? As he was finally brought on board he sat up to try and ask some questions, but was quickly knocked out.

He woke up, what seemed like hours later, and appeared to be in some prison cell. He jumped straight at the bars, but found them to be electrified and was knocked back. Someone laughed as they saw what happened, but Niku couldn't tell who it was.

" **Hey! Where am I? Why am I here? Hey! Tell me!"** Niku called out, but he was being ignored. He was stuck here for some time.

* * *

So that was Niku's story up to being thrown in prison. Let's move on to the next one. For this story, we go back just a little further.

* * *

 _What did you think? Good chapter, bad chapter? I would like to be clear on something... these backstories are meant to feel really rushed and yes, the characters may be a bit underdeveloped, but that's because their development will happen over the course of the arc. I just wanted to tell their stories. Why are they in this place and how do they come together._

 _But if you have anything good to say, leave a review! If you have any criticisms, leave a review, but tell me what I can do better. Tell me how I can make this a more enjoyable story for you._

 _Thanks for being patient with me, as always!_

 _Next Time... Chapter 25: Who We Are - Part Two_


	25. Arc VI: Who We Are - Part Two

_New chapter here! Read it! Review it! Enjoy it!_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 25: Who We Are – Part Two**_

 _Late Age 794_

The weather was always terrible in this city. The great city of Ameya on the planet of Kumodak was always that way. A lot of small, two-to-four-seater ships were flying in normal flight paths through the sky, but not above the tall, skyscrapers. The city was full of huge billboards with over-the-top advertisements. Down on the ground, the city was bustling, but… just as miserable. The rain was falling hard.

Vehicles similar to the ones in the sky were also on the ground, and they made for a more comfortable mode of transport with this rain. The people around on the streets didn't look very trustworthy and were quite suspicious. There were some homeless aliens on the ground, holding their hands (or other limbs) out for any money or food. They were pretty much ignored.

A gang of aliens were walking down one of the pathways, and were seeming very suspicious, and loud. The others around on the streets were wary of this group and tried to avoid being in their way. But about fifteen feet back behind this group, a man was walking along, following them. The man had a long coat on, keeping him covered and he had a hood to make sure his face was covered.

The gang hadn't noticed this man, but he had been following their every move. Before long, the gang turned down a back-alley and the unknown man stopped, hiding just around the corner. The gang started to bring out some weapons and were preparing for something. Whatever it was, the strange man was here to do something about it. He turned down the alley and walked right up to them, he managed to go unnoticed for most of it, until he accidently kicked a can on the ground.

The gang all turned around and held their guns up, aimed at the strange man.

" **Who are you?"** One of the aliens shouted. The man didn't answer. Another of the gang stepped forward. There were six of them all together and this man had his work cut out for him. He didn't feel the need to let them know who he was.

One of the gang members fired his weapon, but the man dodged it and once again kicked the can on the ground. The can hit that same gang member in the face and distracted the others. They clearly weren't very smart. The strange man moved forward, and kicked one of the larger Gang members in the head, knocking him into the wall. He then dropped down and punched the first one that fired at him. That was two, already down. The other four began to open fire and the man had to defend. He jumped back, threw off his big coat, revealing the outfit he was wearing underneath. It was an armour kind out similar to that of a Saiyans/Cold Empire, but without shoulder pads, and the design was a little different on the front. That, and it had the Galactic Patrol logo on it.

After throwing off his coat, the man no longer had his hood up and we could see what he looked like. It was Guida, he was a member of the Galactic Patrol. The four gang members appeared to be pretty shocked, that this guy was actually in the patrol, this means they weren't being as secretive as they thought.

Guida pulled out two pistols and started firing them forward, managing to take down the four gang members, but not killing them. The gun was only set to stun. Guida then sent out a call for more Galactic Patrol members to come and apprehend these criminals. Guida has the gang bound and kept in the alleyway. A large GP ship lands at the end of the alley and Guida walks up to meet with the patrolman that came with it.

A small patrolman walks forward, wearing a simpler armour. (Let's just say it's Jaco). **"Well, looks like you did a good job with these fools,"** Jaco said, standing proudly **. "Thanks for letting me be the one to take these guys in."**

Guida nodded down at Jaco. **"It's ok, Jaco. I know that you really need to get on the King's good side,"** Guida said with a smirk. Jaco chuckled nervously as Guida walked up to his ship, **"Plus I need to get back to my family and there's too much paperwork involved with these guys."**

Guida gave a small wave back to Jaco as he hopped in his one-man ship and took off, blasting into space. He punched in the controls for his home planet and shot off. It didn't take him too long to arrive back home. He flew across lots of fields. Lots of green grass, huge lakes and farms. The small GP ship lands down in a large town full of friendly looking people. It was located around a lot of farmland and appeared to be very quaint and peaceful.

The ship landed at a small port where all the ships appeared to be gathered and Guida jumped out of his ship. He walked up to a man, sleeping in a chair, who appeared to be the person who kept an eye on these ships. He was also part of the same race as Guida. Actually, all the people in this town, perhaps this planet, were the same species as Guida. It was his species' planet of origin as well.

Guida didn't bother to wake the man and chuckled to himself as he walked out into the town, to make his way home. Many of the people greeted Guida and asked how his work was going. Guida was nice to them all, as they were to him, and everyone seemed happy. Guida finally made it home and as soon as his door slid open two small children came running up to him and leapt up to give him a hug. Guida was knocked to the floor, laughing along with his children.

" **I guess you're both happy to see me?"** Guida said as he slowly got back up, giving his children hugs and patting them on the head. **"I've only been gone a couple of weeks."**

" **Yeah, but you missed the town festival!"** Guida's son said, seeming very excitable and jumping up and down. Guida smirked down and listened to his two children tell him about the festival as they walked into the main living area of the house. Guida's wife was standing there waiting for him, with a smile on her face. Guida smiled to her and mouthed a 'hello' but tried to keep attention on his children as they told him all about what had happened. Guida sat down and gave them a lot of attention.

It took a few hours, but the kids finally tired out and had to go to bed. This gave time for Guida and his wife to have some time together to catch up. Guida was finally able to have a bit of a rest. He would sleep well that night.

However, early the next morning, Guida is woken up by the beeping from his Galactic Patrol communicator. Guida sits up slowly and answers the communicator.

" **Patrolman Guida here,"** He said, groggily into his communicator as he stood up out of the bed and moved to the next room. **"What is it?"**

" **Sorry, Guida, but you're nearest,"** The man on the other end said.

" **Nearest to what?"** Guida asked, not sure what was going on right now.

" **We've heard of a couple of strong warriors on Planet Setruvio, we know that's not too far away from where you are right now,"** The man explained. Guida sighed and wanted to hang-up the communicator. He carried on listening though. **"They're causing quite a lot of problems to some city folk. The local authorities need our help."**

" **You don't give me much of a choice if I'm the closest. Fine, I'll do it, but send some back-up,"** Guida said, putting down the communicator and going to get ready. He gets his outfit on and grabs his coat and weapons. He plants a quick kiss on his wife's head, but she wakes up.

" **What's going on?"** She asked. Guida cursed to himself.

" **Sorry, I didn't want to wake you. I've been called to Setruvio for a quick arrest. I'll be gone two days max,"** Guida explained. His wife seemed unhappy, but she accepted it. He said his quick goodbye and went off. He didn't want to bother his children, knowing that if they woke up now it wouldn't be good.

Guida walked through the town at night. It was peaceful, quiet and empty. The patrolman made it to his ship and got on-board. He set the coordinates and flew off, quickly. He eventually made it to Planet Setruvio, to the city that he had been tasked with checking out and now he had to find these criminals. The city was fairly standard. Big buildings, but this city was located on a water planet. Guida landed his ship and began to look around. He hid his Galactic Patrol outfit under his coat so that nobody questioned him.

Guida wasn't sure what he was actually meant to be looking for, but he was still good at his job and would be able to track them down. He just needed to focus on the information he had been given by his boss. These men had simply been killing people. The only strange thing, they were killing criminals. They were basically vigilantes, but the killings were far too violent. The bodies were found basically hacked to bits, chopped up. Big blades were definitely being used.

Guida just had to look for similarities in those scenarios, and then hope they had left some clues at any of the previous crime scenes. He made his way to one of the original crime scenes, but on the outside, there was nothing that immediately jumped out to him. It seemed like any ordinary restaurant. Guida stepped inside. The place had been left abandoned since the killings, this was the scene of the first murders. Three people had been killed. Two of them had been members of a local gang, while one was presumably someone who had just got in the way. Guida pressed on.

He looked around the main restaurant area to see if anything jumped out and grabbed his attention. He looked at some of the pictures and paintings on the walls, but couldn't make anything out yet. He still took out his camera and took photos of anything that could possibly be of some help. He made sure to list down the identities of any of the people that had been killed and anything he knew about their personal lives.

Guida moved to the next place. Just a normal shop. Two people were killed here. Nothing specific stood out about them, nor the location. He still took some photos. At this place, there was a symbol on a painting that seemed familiar, but it was from something Guida had seen a long time ago. He got to the next place and started to realise some sort of trend. A lot of the people that were killed had been members of gangs or mobs, or some sort of organisation that was involved in crime. He knew criminals were the ones being killed, but these must be linked somehow.

All the gangs had seemed to be rivals and against each other, but that still didn't tell Guida who was doing the killing. He wasn't getting to this as quickly as he hoped. He had been to a few different places now. He had seen over half the crime scenes, but not a lot of progress had been made. He decided to go to the most recent place and then compare that with the first few places. Maybe he could spot something in the evidence and carry on looking at the places the next day.

The last place was a little different to the others. While the others were still in public places, they were interior like restaurants and clubs, or shops, but typically when the places were empty otherwise. This place was a park. Sure, it had been night, but the bodies were found the next morning… by a family with children. Someone was trying to make some sort of message with this murder. Four gang members were killed. They were all from different gangs as well, but that didn't help Guida get closer to a conclusion. He looked around the park for some signs, but there wasn't anything. After walking around for about an hour, or even more, Guida took a seat near the edge of the park and looked around. His eyes eventually fall upon a large tree just outside the park… something caught his eye.

Guida stood up and walk right over to the tree. Someone had carved something into this tree. It was a symbol and Guida had certainly seen this before. It was the same one he had seen earlier in the restaurant. The symbol was like a curved blade, facing downwards with one big blade going up through the middle. Guida placed his hand on the tree and felt over the carving. He took a picture of it and made a quick note that this could be something to help him later on.

Once Guida had gathered his evidence he decided to go to a local library in the city. He needed to do some research into this symbol that had appeared more than once in his evidence. It was the main thing he had to go on and this could solve the killings. He sat down at one of the computers and began to search the archives. The symbol started to show up more and more, but it only led to information about ancient cults that used to unite all around the Galaxy. Some people appeared to use the symbol in modern day to try and strike some sort of fear. Was that what this was?

Guida wasn't sure what to believe when he stumbled upon some surprising information. Apparenlty some of the older cults used to believe they could open a portal to the underworld and summon an army of demons. Some believed that there was a time when this army once ruled over the Galaxy and that this time would return some time in the future. Guida believed he had seen enough. His research had told him why these killings were happening. The gangs that were being killed had once evolved from these cults, but according to what the cults were once like, the gangs had lost their way.

Guida would need to keep following these crimes if he was to find out who was doing the killing. If he was given a chance to do so. As he left the library and made his way back to his ship Guida got the impression he was being followed. He made sure to pretend he was unaware, but something was telling him someone was near. His senses were reacting. These people were strong. They weren't any ordinary criminals and there were two of them. Guida got to his ship and could feel a power rising as it got closer to him, someone was about to attack him. Guida swung around and dodged back, managing to avoid a large blade from slicing his face.

He kicked as he dropped, hoping to hit this opponent's legs, but they managed to jump over and attempted to redirect their blade towards Guida's legs. He managed to pull back quick enough and jump up to kick them away. Guida dropped back and put his arms up, ready to carry on a fight. The opponent composed himself and looked towards Guida. He was wearing a black outfit with a hood and a kind of cloak that went down to just above the back of his knees. It was kind of torn as well. The being wore a mask as well, with some sort of demonic design.

Guida took a step towards the enemy, but felt another energy coming. He turned to the right and flipped back as another body dropped in. Dressed similar, and armed with a very familiar blade. Guida repositioned himself and looked up at the two of them. These were the guys. They were the ones behind it all. Guida stood up straight, took off his coat and clenched his fists. He was definitely going to need to fight these guys if he wanted any chance to apprehend them.

He let them make the first move and they began to run towards him, planning to come in from different sides of him. They were bouncing around, showing they were fast, but Guida felt he was equal to it. He closed his eyes and let his power rise. He opened them at the last minute and managed to avoid both blades from hitting him and punched the one on his left in the gut and kicked him in the ribs, knocking him away. The other one tried to stab Guida in the back, but the Patrolman swung around and knocked the blade to the side with his right arm and grabbed the swordsman around the throat with his left hand.

The other one darted towards him from behind and Guida quickly acted to throw the one he held onto into the approaching one and they clattered into each other, falling to the ground and dropping their blades. Guida whipped out his pistols and held them towards the two murderers. They slowly got up, Guida kept his weapons trained on them. They took a second to notice this and froze upon realising the position they were in. Guida still wore a serious expression.

" **I would stand down if I were you,"** Guida suggested, **"I have back-up on the way. They'll be able to deal with you."** The two swordsmen looked to one another and nodded. They began to walk forward. Guida didn't know why they did this and wasn't sure what to do right away. He gripped his guns and swallowed hard. **"I will shoot you if you continue to move!"** Guida yelled at them, but they persisted, getting closer to the swords. Guida didn't have a choice.

He opened fire, but as soon as he did the swordsmen seemed to spring to life and moved fast to grab their swords and dive to the sides. Guida continued to fire, but none of his blasts hit their targets. The two of them were difficult to keep track on. Guida had to pull out all stops and go for it with all he had. He holstered his guns and powered up his energy. The two swordsmen darted in for him and the Patrolman let out an explosive wave and knocked them back to a safe distance. Guida then darted for the one on his left and knocked the sword from his hand and started to fight him, hand-to-hand.

The other swordsman moved in, hoping that Guida would be too distracted. Guida kicked his opponent away and leapt up and over the other enemy, but part of the blade slice across his left arm and he felt slight injury. Guida dropped down and instantly grabbed his arm, feeling the pain. He looked and saw the blood running down, but ignored it. He shook it off and prepared to move in for another attack. Then he spotted the sword left on the ground. He looked up at the two opponents whom had also noticed the weapon on the floor. The one still with his sword tried to move in, but Guida took the sword and threw it towards him with power.

The swordsman wasn't expecting this and was hit in the left arm by the blade. It pierced his skin and the man fell to the ground in pain. Guida took his guns out again and aimed them forward, making sure to set them to stun first.

" **The Galactic Patrol places you two under arrest for the murders of over twenty different people,"** Guida said as he fired his guns at the two of them. They were knocked out by the stun guns just as back-up arrived on the scene. Guida relaxed and moved back to his ship. Five Galactic Patrolmen left the bigger ship, four of them took the men back to the ship while the last one came over to Guida. He appeared to be a superior. Guida looked up and acknowledged his arrival with a nod.

" **I guess you could say you owe me, eh?"** The alien said with a chuckled, nudging Guida in the arm. Guida just sighed and got his coat off of the ground.

" **I need to get home…"** Guida said as he wandered back to his ship, but the patrolman followed him.

" **I need you to turn over all your paperwork and evidence first, and you should get that wound checked out, then get some rest,"** The patrolman called out. Guida stopped, looked down at his left arm and back at his superior officer. He nodded.

" **Fine, I'll head back to my hotel,"** Guida replied, **"I'll get the paperwork to you tomorrow, sir."**

Guida boarded his little ship and flew back to his hotel. He got in there, cleaned up his wounds, gathered up his paperwork and dropped onto his bed, falling asleep very quickly. That had been the toughest fight for him in a while.

* * *

Guida handed in his paperwork and made sure to head straight back home the next morning. It had taken some time to process the criminals, but they were unmasked and shown to have been sympathisers for an old cult referred to only as the Dark Blades. That's where the symbol had come from. Guida said he would address it more once he had a chance to see his family a little more. His Commander let him off and said Jaco would be in charge of the paperwork for this.

On his journey back, Guida did receive a message from his Commander, but it only came through as text. He didn't get a chance to actually communicate directly with the Commander. The message wasn't very clear.

 _ **Guida, get back to Mothership XIV immediately.**_

That was it. The message wasn't clear on why Guida was needed, but communications had been severed. It hadn't even been long. This worried Guida, but he was already too close to home and decided he may as well go back there first. He entered the atmosphere of his planet and headed straight for the village, but that smoke in the distance wasn't a good sign. As Guida got closer he could see immense flames. All the local farmland had been torched and nobody was fighting it. Guida sped up and landed as close to his home as he could. He jumped out of his ship and started to move through his town.

The whole place was on fire… and there were dead bodies everywhere. His friends. His people. Guida moved on quicker. He started to notice that the people had been sliced and cut by similar blades to the ones of those Dark Blades. What had Guida got himself into? He broke into a sprint and made it to his home rapidly, only to see the place was in flames too, but his family… they were outside… dead. His wife… his two children. They had been murdered… and not in a nice way. They were slaughtered. Guida let out a guttural scream as he dropped to his knees and broke into tears. He was broken. He clenched his fists and placed them over his eyes as he shouted into the ground.

He stood up and turned around, not able to look upon them right now. He was seething with rage and that's when he saw it. On the ground… made with blood. It was that same symbol. The Dark Blades. They were responsible for this. That much was clear. He walked over to his family and began to dig holes for them. He had to bury them here. They were gone and Guida would get his revenge. He could feel his power. He knew there was so much more he could be doing with it.

Guida made it back to his ship and took off, taking a quick glance back down at his town before blasting off into space and heading to Mothership XIV. It didn't take him that long to get there, but once he arrived he could see that something had gone wrong there. He docked his ship and made his way towards the prison cells where those Swordsmen had been kept and saw they too had been killed. Guida stopped in the doorway and looked at their bodies on the ground. He was sure they had broken out and murdered everyone in his town, but no… it must have been more of them getting revenge or something.

Guida was finally brought back to reality and started to notice more blood around… and bodies… fellow Patrolmen. Even… his commander. Guida dropped down next to him and tried to see if there was any sign of life.

" **Who's there?"** A voice yelled from the next room. Guida didn't recognise it right away, **"I have weapons and I'm highly skilled in combat!"**

Guida knew this had to be another Patrolman, **"It's Guida…"** he said, trying to get this Patrolman to reveal himself. Eventually, Jaco stepped out and he seemed to be terrified. **"What happened here?"**

" **Two of them came… Dark Blades… they did this,"** Jaco explained. Guida was surprised about one thing that Jaco had said. 'Two.' Only two of them did this. Could it have been the same two that went to Guida's town? The Patrolman was already in a confused place, but now he was sent over the edge. If it was truly just two men then Guida could find them… and kill them.

Guida turned around and rushed off to the armoury. Jaco followed after him, trying to get him to slow down and explain what was going to happen next. Jaco caught up in time to see Guida taking a lot of the bigger weapons, and some of the strongest armour and training gear. He even took the keys to one of the larger and faster ships. Jaco continued to follow him.

" **Where are you going, Guida?!"** Jaco asked, feeling very scared now. Guida stopped and turned to face the small Patrolman.

" **Jaco… get back to the main headquarters. Tell them what happened here, who did it, and what happened back on my planet,"** Guida requested. Jaco was a bit confused, but Guida was ready to clarify. **"Everyone in my town is dead, Jaco… everyone."**

" **Where are you going now?"** Jaco asked. Guida stepped back and prepared to board the ship. Jaco rushed forward. **"Please… I won't stop you, just tell me."**

" **I'm going to find them, Jaco. The ones that did this… all of this,"** Guida opened the ship and walked up the ramp. **"And I'm going to kill them."**

Guida looked back to Jaco one more time and nodded. Jaco nodded too and rushed off to his own ship. Guida got on the ship, set everything up and flew off. He had no idea where he was going, but give it some time and he would find his way very soon.

* * *

Guida searched for about 4 months. It was already Age 795. He scoured some of the biggest cities in the closest systems to his home. During this time, he also made sure to train and focus more on his energy use. He had neglected it quite a bit in his time with the Patrol, but now he needed to rely on these powers and do his absolute best if he came face-to-face with the one that murdered his family.

Once Guida finally started to make some progress he came across some Dark Blades and decided he would need to fight them with his all. He needed to show them just how strong he was. He would kill them if it was truly necessary. He needed these warriors and criminals to know that he was to be feared. Guida was powerful and he would show them this. Either way, this had to be his best method to try and find this murderer.

Unfortunately, Guida came up against five or six warriors with their weapons. He did his absolute best to fight them, but wasn't good enough to fight all of them. They ended up defeating and Guida and taking him as their prisoner.

Guida eventually woke up in a cell, it was somewhere dark and he had no idea what was going on. As soon as Guida awoke he ran to the bars and gripped them. He was unaware that these bars were electrified and it set him back just a little. Guida wasn't going to just sit there and be quiet.

" **Hey, why am I here? Who killed my family?"** Guida screamed to some of the guards walking by. One of the turned to him and jabbed Guida in the stomach, knocking him back down. Guida grunted and looked up at this guard.

" **It was probably the traitor… not one of ours,"** The guard said. He didn't sound evil, in fact, it seemed like there was a little bit of remorse in his tone. Guida was up on his feet again and wanted to know more.

" **Who… tell me who? I need to know!"** Guida shouted as they walked on. Guida was frustrated and turned to see someone else in his cell, sitting at the end of one of the beds. He was rather large, yellow skinned and bald with a black goatee. He looked over to Guida and back to the ground.

" **It was Yamo Niha… he's the traitor… and probably the one that killed your family,"** This prisoner said, still looking down. **"Sorry, but he killed my allies too."**

Guida stepped towards this man and sat on the bed, opposite him. **"What's your name?"**

The prisoner looked up and held a hand out, to shake Guida's. **"I'm Niku, and you?"**

Guida took then hand and shook. He told this prisoner his name and then lay back on the bed. There wasn't much that could be done now. Guida was already trying to think of a possible way to break out, but he had nothing he actually wanted to say to this Niku. He hardly knew him and it wouldn't be safe to just start talking about breaking out. But at least he had a name… Yamo Niha… and by the sounds of it, there were others that would want him dead.

Guida hadn't done his best in finding his enemies, but he learned one thing… and he may possibly have an ally. Either way, he would need to find a way to break out of this situation. But before that… we have one last story to tell and for that… we must go back a further 6 years…

* * *

 _So, there's Guida's backstory and after this we only have one more! Sorry if this one seems very short and glossed over again, but that was my intention. I know that I don't linger on the family much, but I didn't really want to write too much. These could all be a couple of chapter long stories themselves, but that's not what I wanted them to be._

 _Either way, thanks for reading again. Leave a review please!_

 _Next Time... Chapter 26: Who We Are - Part Three_


	26. Arc VI: Who We Are - Part Three

_Hello! New chapter. I have to let you know, that this chapter does get pretty dark and something that almost happens or is hinted at in this chapter is the main reason I gave this story the M rating. Either way, ENJOY!_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 26: Who We Are – Part Three**_

 _Age 789 – Planet Jasutin, the city of Zahin – Outer reaches of the Milky Way_

On the dank and filthy street of this large and overpopulated city, many homeless children lived. Having been abandoned, parents been killed or just lost in the strange world, these children all lived hard lives. One such child, a small and innocent 9-year-old girl, lived by herself down some dark alleys, behind some bins. She had been on these streets for as long as she could remember. She was green-skinned, with a snake like nose that protruded just a little bit. She had messy and unkempt white hair, and was very skinny.

Nobody knew what race she was from, or if she was even born on this planet, but then again, nobody even spoke to her. This girl's name… was Talia. During the days, Talia would have to steal food from some of the shopping stalls that opened on the streets. The markets were always busy and it was relatively easy to get food, although there was always the chance she would be caught. Even if she did get the food, she would then have to stand up to the bigger homeless men, women and children that would try to steal her food from her. Talia had become good at moving fast and getting into small spaces to get away from any that tried to chase her down.

It was a hard life, but as far as she knew it had always been her life… and always would be. One day, Talia noticed a man walking through the market that was wearing a black cloak of sorts. It covered him from head to toe, but Talia managed to glint something shiny at this man's waist when he took out his pouch of coin to buy something. This man must have quite a bit of money, and surely wouldn't miss it if Talia managed to sneakily get it. This was like a jackpot for her. Surely there were others that would try to rob this man, but maybe she was small enough to actually get in there and get what she needed.

Talia got to a higher point and managed to see this man from the front, however, he was wearing some sort of mask that covered his whole head. She didn't know what species he was from, but that didn't matter. All that mattered… the money in that pouch on his belt. It would be hers. She dropped down from her vantage point and started moving through the crowds. Diving through legs and making her way towards the man in the black cloak.

She decided not to be too secretive about it and bump into him, grabbing the pouch as she did. This plan was going to work. Talia was sure of it. She ran into this man's legs, grabbed the pouch and dropped to the floor. The man stepped back and let her stand up quickly. She kept her head down and held up her right hand as if to apologise. She then rushed off down an alley. The man stayed in the same spot. His hand came up to his belt and he noticed the pouch was gone. He looked towards the alley, but stayed in the same spot. He then covered his belt again and carried on moving through.

Talia made it underneath a large bin and took the pouch. She counted the money and knew that she would have enough to get some food and water from one of the all-day stalls later that night. She just needed to get to a safer part of the city first. If that even existed.

A few hours later, that night, Talia finally emerged from her dumpster and rushed off into the streets. She made sure to keep her head down and stick close to anyone that didn't look dangerous to her. She had become a fairly good judge of character in this city. She could tell which ones were the most dangerous and which would pay her no mind. She was making some good progress and managed to get into a much cleaner part of the city. That was until… someone grabbed her arm.

Talia slipped on her heel and this person let go of her. As they did, Talia fell flat on the ground and dropped the pouch of coin. She looked up to see three male aliens. They were clearly skinny and weaker due to living on the streets, but they were still bigger than her.

" **Where are you rushing off to, sweetheart,"** one of the said, stepping forward. He looked down at her and noticed the pouch. Talia looked up and down at the pouch and then quickly took the pouch back and jumped to her feet, hoping to rush off. Another of the men moved forward and grabbed her leg, lifting her up.

" **Don't leave us,"** this man said. **"We need to know what you have in that pouch."**

Talia tried desperately to struggle out of this man's grip. He dropped her to the ground and the pouch slipped out of her grip again. She was in pain and tried to get up again, but one of the men picked her up and held her hands behind her back.

" **Let's take this off of the streets,"** The first one said as the three of them walked off down an alley and one of them made sure to sweep up the pouch. He opened it as they walked down, **"Holy Mother… this is a lot of coin… thanks a lot, girl."**

" **Give that back! Let me go!"** The girl screamed through tears as one of the men held her down.

" **Nah… we can make better use of you,"** The first man said again as he pushed his friends back and bent down in front of the girl. **"Take off those rags."**

The man said this as he reached forward and lifted up the rags she had been wearing as a sort of dress. Talia tried to hold it down but the man held her arms in his left hand and used his right hand to continue to lift her dress up.

" **I like them young,"** He said as he reached down to the front of his own clothing and opened them. Talia closed her eyes and started to scream for help, but the people that were on the streets just walked past, ignoring what was going on. Talia, eyes still closed, could hear laughter all around and felt her rags be removed. Her screaming persisted, but the man now had his right hand free and put it around her mouth to silence her. He started to move forward to her, ready to do whatever it was he had planned… Talia was in Hell. She had to be… she just wanted to die…

Suddenly, the man let go of her and his presence was gone. She opened her eyes and saw the man being held up by the man in black from earlier. Talia stayed in that same spot on the floor, covering herself up. The man in black took out a sword and drove it through that homeless man's throat. Blood spurted out and some of it got on Talia. She panicked when it happened, but didn't take her eyes off of this man in black as he sliced down the other two men. He then reclaimed his pouch of coin. After this, he tore off part of his cloak and wrapped it around the girl.

She was shivering and shaking in pure fear, but none of that dissipated. This man might be just as bad as those other men. She couldn't trust anyone in this city. The man in black carried her out of the alley and towards one of the fancier looking hotels. He walked in and went straight to the elevator which carried him to the penthouse on the top floor, 2,000 storeys up.

He entered his room, the girl still in his arms, and he switched on the light. When he did, a young woman was revealed on the bed. She was probably about 24 years of age. Long red hair, and was clearly of some other race. That was clear from her two antennae and tail. She moved a little and looked over to the man in black.

" **I see you're back… want some more, do ya?"** this woman said as she started to reveal more of her body, but stopped when she saw what was in his arms. A small girl. She sat up, surprised. **"I didn't expect you to be into that kinda stuff… but ok."**

The man in black set this girl down on the bed and walked off.

" **I want you to clean her up and give her some of this medication,"** the man in black said, through some sort of metallic or robotic voice changer. It made him sound very intimidating, so that woman was unsure of what he wanted.

" **That's not what I usually get paid to do,"** She said playfully. The man in black took no notice as the woman walked over to him and tried to seduce him.

" **It's what I'm paying you for today, now do it, I need her at full health,"** He explained. She was now standing right behind him and chuckled to herself.

" **I see, you want her to be just right for you to do whatever you want,"** The woman said, in a teasing tone. The man in black swung around and grabbed her around the throat, even lifting her off of the ground. He forced her to look right into his mask.

" **I am like that… do as I say and clean her up,"** He said, dropping her to the ground afterwards and walking through into the next room, but he called back in. **"Do this for me and I'll pay you double later on."**

The woman looked to the doorway and then back to the girl on the bed. She was looking around, looking very scared, and dirty. The woman covered herself up and went over to the girl. She put on an almost maternal persona.

" **It's ok, we're gonna take care of you, don't worry,"** She tried her best to assure the little girl, but she was still rather terrified. Hopefully she would feel much better in the morning.

* * *

The next morning, Talia woke up in a bed. She shot up and looked around the room in fear. She instantly went to her body, expecting to be hurt, but noticed she was wearing nice clean clothes. The young alien moved to the end of the bed and looked to the window. Finally, Talia got out of the bed and walked towards the window. For some reason, she felt like she was fully rested and energised, but she could hardly remember what had happened… only two things shone in her mind. The people in the alley… and the man in black. Talia trembled at those memories and walked right up to the window.

She put her hands against the glass and looked out on the city. The realisation of how high up in the city shocked her. Talia stepped back, quite scared by the sheer intensity of it all. She turned around only to bump straight into someone. She fell to the ground as this person bent down to come to her level. Talia looked up and saw that mask again. The man in black. The mask was more of a helmet, it was black and silver with rounded eyes that shone red. The mouth was shaped slightly triangular without the bottom line.

Talia was pretty scared of this strange man and started to back away. This man held his hand out for her and tried to calm her.

" **Relax, I don't want to hurt you,"** He said, through his metallic/robotic voice. This only served to scare Talia a little more and she continued to back up. The man stood up and turned to face away from the girl. He lifted his head to his helmet and slowly removed it. He revealed he was red skinned, with short, spiky black hair, in a buzz-cut style. His ears were pointed back a little too. He appeared to be about 30-40 years old. He put his helmet on the bed and bent down to be level with Talia again.

" **My name is Yamo,"** The man in black revealed. His voice was a little bit gravely, but not deep. **"Yamo Niha."**

The man smiled and Talia at she started to feel a little more relaxed in this scenario. She stood up and walked forward, her eyes staying on the man's hand.

" **Please, don't be scared, I want to help you,"** Niha tried to assure her as best he could. She was still wary of this strange man, but he did save her, and help her. Maybe she should thank him.

" **Tha… thank you…"** Talia muttered, nervously. She tried not to look Niha in the eye, still scared of what he may be capable of. Especially considering she saw him kill those three men. Niha stood up and put his helmet back on. He walked into the next room and came back, attaching his blade to his waist. Talia just watched this. He put his black cloak around his body, but didn't put the hood up.

Talia just watched, not sure what to do. The man looked back at her and approached. He threw a smaller black cloak towards her. She dodged back and looked down at it, surprised.

" **Put it on, we need to leave this place,"** Niha turned around and walked to the door, **"You're coming with me, and I'm going to train you."**

Talia didn't know how to react to this, but as the man left the room she found herself chasing after him. She had nowhere else to go after all and maybe this would play out to benefit her in the long run. She followed Niha closely as he made his way through the crowds and he made sure to keep her in his sight at all times. They made it to Niha's spaceship and he showed her to a space that she could rest. Talia did and would stay there until she knew what would happen next.

She sat there, pretty much in silence. She didn't know what to do. This strange man, Yamo Niha, hadn't even asked her name and he had already told her they were going to train. Talia sat on the small bed that was in this room and kept her silence. It was best to just wait.

About an hour into the journey there was a knock at Talia's door and the young girl was unsure of what to do. The fact that he knocked meant he was giving her a choice about whether or not to speak to him. Talia stood up and slowly walked to the door. She pressed the button for it to open and Yamo Niha was stood there, looking down on her, wearing the mask. She couldn't get a read on him, but something was telling her that he was powerful. There was a lot of energy in the room. He knelt down to be level with her again.

" **Tell me your name,"** He requested of her. Talia stepped back a little, feeling scared, but she did her best to remain strong.

" **My name is… Talia,"** She answered. Niha pulled back.

" **So, you do have a name, surprising considering you were living on the streets for a very long time,"** He said, curiously. He stood up and walked inside her room, sitting on the bed. Talia watched this and was starting to feel some comfort around him and turned around.

" **It's the only thing I know about myself…"** Talia said. She couldn't tell what Niha thought of this due to his helmet, but he must have been contemplating something. Talia shifted awkwardly on her feet and Niha stood up again. Talia seemed to flinch at this, but he just walked past her.

" **It's the only thing you need to know, you'll have a new life soon,"** Niha explained as he stepped out of the room. **"A different life…"**

He closed the door behind him and Talia heard him walk away again. She was beginning to get a little more worried about what might happen to her, but surely it couldn't be any worse than what had already happened to her.

Eventually, Talia felt the ship begin to slow down and she took it upon herself to walk out into the other parts of the ship. She walked up to the main cockpit and saw Niha sitting in the pilot's seat with an empty chair next to him. Talia went right up to the front, next to Niha and looked out of the window.

" **We're in space…"** Talia stated. Niha didn't pay it any attention, but this was the first time Talia had seen the vastness of space. She got up on the chair next to Niha and stood up, looking out of the window properly and that's when she saw a planet. Her first new planet. It was big, and a mix of reds and browns. Talia looked to Niha, but he paid her no attention. She looked back outside again. **"Is that where we're going?"**

" **Yes. That is the home planet of my clan,"** Niha answered. He didn't seem to be thrilled to be back here, but Talia couldn't really read that. **"This is Haken."**

Talia nodded, taking in that small bit of information. This new planet was going to be the doorway to Talia's new future. This was going to be her new life, and she really hoped it would be better than her old one. Niha took the ship down into the atmosphere and Talia got a better look at it all. The sky was red and orange with dark clouds, and the ground was dark and brown.

The ship touched down and Niha went through the power down process before standing up and exiting the cockpit. Talia carried on staring outside and saw they had landed in front of some sort of large, black castle. It was huge, and isolated. There were people in Black cloaks walking out of the entrance, coming towards the ship. Talia turned to look back on Niha as he put his own cloak on and attached his sword to his belt. He looked over to Talia and motioned for her to follow him.

He stopped her before they left the ship though. **"I just want you to know, they won't be trusting of you at first. You will have to earn the loyalty of the Masters."**

Talia nodded and made sure to stick close to Niha. They walked down the ramp of the ship and made their way across the bridge towards the four cloaked men walking towards them. They were a little different to Niha. Their cloaks weren't as flowing and they wore their swords on the outside. The swords were a little smaller as well. More like large daggers.

They also didn't wear masks or helmets. Talia could see their faces. She was still a little scared and stayed hidden behind Niha, somehow trusting him. They spread out and appeared to stop Niha from walking any further. Niha stood his ground though and moved his hand under his cloak towards his blade. Talia was beginning to wonder if they were really all allies.

" **Your blade has tasted blood,"** one of the cloaked beings spoke up, he didn't sound happy. Niha stepped forward a bit more, hand still on his blade.

" **Yeah, and what of it?"** Niha questioned, sounding rather annoyed about the way this one spoke to him. He stepped forward again. **"I wish to see the Masters."**

The four clansmen remained in those positions. They looked to one another and then stepped aside. Niha walked through, taking Talia's hand and guiding her through. One of the four stepped forward a last time though.

" **Don't think the Masters will let you keep getting away with this,"** The cloaked being said, Niha simply brushed him aside and kept walking.

" **Unlike the rest of you false blades, I only serve the true Master,"** He said back to them and he continued on with Talia. The girl looked back as the four of them watched after her. They were wary. This only terrified the girl a little more. She had to keep close to Niha.

They entered the castle and walked through the halls. Talia was taking in all the ornaments, statues, the way the structure was built. It was all different to what she was used to back in that city. This was so new, but also old. The duo continued on and stepped on a platform in the middle of the opening hall. Talia looked around her and saw many staircases and hallways and other cloaked beings walking around.

She couldn't really take it all in properly as the platform she was on started to rise up higher. It was heading right to the top of the castle. Presumably to these Masters she had heard about. They eventually stopped and came to a huge door. Niha walked forward and Talia rushed to keep up with him. Niha pushed the door open and walked into a circular room. There were chairs all around one side in a semi-circle… nine of them and each chair had a member of this clan sitting in it. They all had their cloaks off and were wearing some form of robes, or Gi like clothing. It was of course a mix of blacks, browns and greys. One man, seated in the middle, had red on the top half of his outfit.

They were all a mix of different alien races, but the one in the middle was devil-like and was clearly a leader. Niha walked into the middle and dropped to one knee. Talia stood next to him, but noticed him bow down and she did the same.

The devil-man stood up and walked towards Niha. **"Rise,"** He said in a raspy, aged voice. Niha stood up to come face to face with this Master. He placed a hand on Niha's shoulder. **"You have disobeyed some of our orders once again."**

" **I killed three criminals, yes,"** Niha responded.

" **That is beside the point,"** The Devil-man continued. **"You know it is against our rules to harm those that don't stand in our way."**

" **They were in my way,"** Niha continued, **"They were harming this girl… and… I couldn't watch it happen."**

" **There is too much emotion inside that head of yours, Yamo,"** The Master responded. He turned around and returned to his seat, but didn't sit down. **"It is why you haven't take the trials just yet."**

" **You just know I'm far stronger than any of you… and you're worried I'll take over,"** Niha explained, smirking. Talia didn't know what to make of any of this. The rest of the room stood up now and Talia flinched.

" **The girl is weak,"** one of the other Masters said.

" **She could never be like one of us,"** another piped in.

" **She is full of more power than any of you can realise,"** Niha said with a chuckle. **"I'm surprised that you really aren't as all seeing as you imply."**

" **You wish to take her as your student?"** The main Master said, ushering for the rest to take their seats, as he followed. **"I will allow this… on the condition that you follow our rules more closely. The Dark Blades have evolved beyond what you believe us to be. One day you will have my seat… but until then… you must train yourself, as well as this girl."**

Niha bowed to his Masters and thanked them as he and Talia left. They went to Niha's living space that was located about 50 miles from the castle, and strangely enough, it was in a City. Not everything on this planet was as ancient as that castle appeared to be and it seemed to have a thriving City. Talia was confused, but not really surprised.

Niha turned to Talia as soon as they entered the apartment. **"That was easier than I thought… you've been accepted as my student and I will guide you in the ways of the Dark Blades."**

Talia really didn't know what was going on with this all and just listened to what Niha had to say. This might be good for her. She couldn't know for certain just yet. Niha walked over to her and placed a hand on her head.

" **Tomorrow we will head to a new planet. A place for our training to properly take place. It will be rigorous training and you will become highly skilled in the usage of your energy and a blade. It won't be easy, but the quicker we get to it and the harder the training… the sooner you will be a fully-fledged Dark Blade. And finally, my desire will be realised. You and I… we will rule the Dark Blades… and they will return to the way they should be."**

Talia was still scared and worried, but now things were starting to get really, truly complicated for her mind to take. But it honestly excited her and it would be interesting to see where she ended up at the end of this all.

* * *

Talia's intense and torturous training took place over the next four years. Yamo Niha took her to planets with the harshest conditions and the toughest criminals and sent her out to fend for herself most times. Made her find her own food and if she didn't, well she didn't eat. Luckily for Talia, she was quite resourceful. Especially after living on the streets at such a young age. She had to adapt and learn, and that was what Niha wanted her to do now. It was about seven months before Niha finally let Talia have a weapon and that was when she began to truly show some more skills.

Having the blade helped her to refine her skills and movements and she was already very fast as it was, but now, things were on a different level for her. She had little track on the days with Niha, not that they mattered to her anyway. Once the blade had become a part of her, Talia's energy started to rise and she became more attuned to it. This was when Niha truly began to see what he had felt when he first met her.

At the age of Eleven, nearly 2 years into their training Talia requested another blade. She wanted two swords. Niha didn't question her about this, but said that her defence may suffer in favour of more attack, but she was ready to prove him wrong. Talia was becoming very hardened and tough. She had so much hate bottled up inside her from her time on the streets and finally was she able to show off that hate and let it fuel her power. This is exactly what Niha wanted.

When Talia was beginning to enter her teenage years, Niha realised that her skills would rival that of a fully-fledged Dark Blade. She had truly found how to harness her own power and she would finally be of great use to him. They returned to Haken and Niha requested the Masters allow her to graduate and become a full member. They accepted, based only on Niha's recommendation. Talia received her official robes and armour. Her two swords, forged from the fires of the next dimension itself. She could finally begin to tap into true Dark Blade abilities and Niha couldn't be happier. Now they could finally go on some real missions… and do some real damage.

Talia and Niha would take part in some missions that were given to them by the Masters, but most of the time Niha would take part in his own missions. Taking jobs from high paying aliens and acting as a sort of Bounty Hunter. Talia didn't fully understand this, but Niha had always been there for her so she graciously helped out where she could. Most of the missions that the Masters gave them involved meeting with Dark Blade sympathisers and helping them with their enemies. Niha would hardly ever let any non-believer live, but Talia would never kill unless it seemed absolutely necessary to her.

Almost two years of these kinds of missions seemed to take their toll on Talia. She wasn't a fan of the senseless killing and often questioned Niha on his methods. When she realised that the Masters really weren't a fan of Niha's constant killing of innocence Talia knew she had to say something if she ever found the right opportunity. Niha had even taken on missions without her, saying he didn't want her to have anything to do with the Cold Empire.

One day, in a big fight Niha lost track of an opponent and was about to be stabbed in the back, literally. Talia spotted this and killed this man, saving Niha's life. He was appreciative of this and praised her. Another day, Niha was very angry on-board their ship and Talia was worried about him…

* * *

 _Late Age 794_

Talia was resting in her small quarters. Cleaning her blades and working out when she heard a massive bang and yell from Niha. She rushed outside of the room with her blade in hand and saw Niha standing near the cockpit with his fist in the wall. He wasn't happy.

" **What is it?"** She asked, not used to seeing him this angry, but comfortable enough to just outright ask him. Niha turned, still wearing his helmet and turned to face her.

" **It turns out that two of my allies have gotten themselves arrested by the Galactic Patrol,"** Niha said, seeming to harbour the anger towards his men rather than the Patrol. **"I know exactly where they are… and what they've been doing."**

" **What? What have they been doing?"** Talia pressed.

" **They have been killing in the name of Dark Blades like I requested, but they've only been doing so in one city… over in Setruvio,"** Niha explained. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. Talia gripped her blade and stepped forward.

" **Are you afraid they'll give you up?"** She asked, seeming to be a little worried about him. Niha shook his head.

" **No… I'm worried that we'll be found either way,"** Niha stated, menacingly before turning and walking to the cockpit. **"The drone I had set on them showed me this. The Galactic patrol member that arrested them…"**

The screen showed a purple-skinned alien, wearing a big coat.

" **I know exactly where his kind live… and I know exactly where those failed soldiers of mine are…"** Niha continued, even more menacingly. **"We're going to pay this guy's home a visit… and then my men. We'll be there way before him."**

Niha punched in the coordinates and the ship blasted off at an immense pace. Talia quickly rushed to her quarters and got ready for if any fighting would take place. She had never seen Niha like this, but it didn't seem right to her. He was a little too angry and worried about this. It seemed almost unreasonable.

Once the ship landed Talia was about to walk out, but Niha stopped her. He had his helmet off and it had been a while since Talia saw his face.

" **I don't want you out there for this…"** He informed her. **"Stay here, in the ship, and wait for me to return."**

Talia didn't think to question Niha and backed into the ship as Niha walked out and locked the ship. Even if she wanted to go somewhere, she couldn't now. She couldn't even see anything from the windows as well. She was a little annoyed, but it wasn't worth getting angry about. She waited for Niha to return. Niha didn't take long and when he did finally return his blade was covered in blood as was his outfit. He went straight into the cockpit and locked himself in there as they flew off. Talia looked out of the window down at a small town and saw fire… and lots of it. She was actually pretty shocked by it, but kept that to herself.

Niha was once again rapid about getting to the next place and the ship was soon landing again. Niha came to her room this time. The door opened and he was stood there, blade already out.

" **I need you this time,"** He said as he walked out. She quickly followed and drew one of her blades.

" **Where are we?"** Talia asked as she looked at the clean space and noticed the Galactic Patrol emblem.

" **This is Mothership XIV, where our friends are being held,"** Niha responded as a couple of Galactic Patrol members walked towards them, enquiring who they were. Niha wasted no time in cutting them both down and walking on. He was a man on a mission. More Patrolmen charged at them both and started firing their weapons. Talia had to fight now. She started slicing at their weapons and trying to disarm them and knock them out rather than kill them, but a couple of times her hand was being forced.

Eventually, the duo made it to the prison area and the two Dark Blade prisoners were very scared to see Niha arrive. One of the prison guards shouted at one stationed at a computer.

" **Quick… send that message to Gui…daaaa!"** The man couldn't properly finish his command as Niha stabbed him right through the stomach. The man fell to the ground and Niha made short work of the other one. It was just the prisoners now. Niha turned to them and entered their cell.

" **You failed me… you're the reason I had to kill all of these guys, and you're going to pay for it,"** Niha said. They started to protest but the experienced Dark Blade soldier grabbed one of them around the throat, crushing it and then cutting his head off. He then turned to the last one and stabbed him right through the centre of his face, and sliced up.

Both were dead and now he and Talia left. They had killed everyone in that Mothership and they had done it without batting so much as an eye. It was easy. Talia finally started to realise just how powerful she could be… and it was terrifying to her. She went to her quarters and washed off, Niha just kept flying. It was about time they return to Haken.

They eventually touched down at the Castle on Haken and were greeted by a rather large crowd, even one of the messengers of the Masters was there. Niha seemed pretty concerned about this. He turned to Talia.

" **Keep your weapon handy,"** He advised her. Talia's brow furrowed and her eyes widened a little. She was unsure of what to think about that. She made sure one of her blades was sheathed on her belt and kept the second hidden on her back and under her cloak. Guida didn't wear his cloak, but made sure to keep his helmet. He walked out of the ship extremely confidently and walked right up to the messenger.

He held his arms out wide and embraced the messenger, as if an old friend. **"What have you got for me today, old timer."** The aged messenger shook his head and there were mutterings throughout the crowd. Talia walked down the ramp of the ship and saw that they were all giving her awkward glances as well. She was a bit concerned as to why Niha was being so informal. The messenger turned around and started walking.

" **The Masters require to see you. You've really done it this time,"** The messenger said as he slowly made his way towards the Castle doors. Niha passed him and patted him on the back.

" **Don't worry, I know my way there,"** Niha continued walking on so confidently. Talia broke into a slight jog to keep up with him. She was too confused to ask him why he was acting this way and the two of them ascended the elevator platform together. Soon enough, they walked before all the Masters. The Grand Master stepped forward.

" **How many did you kill?"** He asked, looking to both Niha and Talia. She didn't know if it was right to say anything, but Niha started chuckling. Talia looked down nervously.

" **Apparently the right amount to make you pissed at me,"** Niha said, treating this all as a big joke, but Talia honestly had no idea right now. The Grand Master didn't budge.

" **You took down an entire Galactic Patrol Mothership, you torched a town, slaughtered hundreds and hundreds of people… and you even employed members of our order to carry out your orders… all in the name of the Dark Blades,"** The Grand Master continued. **"I would ask why, but I don't want to know. You and the girl are both expelled from this order. You are traitors to what it means to be a Dark Blade."**

Talia wanted to protest and claim she had nothing to do with it, but she had killed for Niha many times now. Niha didn't give her a chance to say anything anyway. He drew his sword and stabbed the Grand Master right through the throat. The other Masters stepped forward, but didn't draw their weapons. The Grand Master dropped to the floor and bled out. Niha moved Talia behind him and stepped forward.

" **You! You pathetic Masters are the ones that have forgotten what it means to be a Dark Blade warrior. We have one true Master and he requires our help to achieve his ultimate goals. Yet you weaklings sit in a room and do nothing!"** Niha was definitely letting out a lot of pent up aggression. He lifted his hand up and aimed his wrist towards one of the other Master and fired some sort of dart towards him. The dart shot into the Master's head and instantly exploded.

Talia was shocked by this. She knew he had a mechanical armour, but she had never seen him utilise it fully around her. Then again, Niha had never actually shown to have the ability to use energy properly. Was it all just mechanical? He pounced forward towards one of the other Masters, thanks to the boosters on his armour. He punched that Master in the face with his right fist and shot something right through the Master's chest with his left hand. That Master fell to the ground and the others all backed away together. Niha faced them and walked back to Talia, looking towards them at the same time.

" **Come on, Talia,"** He said, **"We're traitors. We've been expelled from the great Dark Blade order. We must find a new purpose in our lives."**

The two of them descended, but as they made their way towards the exit they noticed that hundreds of Dark Blades warriors stepped up to fight them. Niha primed a weapon on his left arm and kept his blade out, in his right hand. He walked towards the crowd, firing his weapon and slashing with his blade. Talia unsheathed both of her swords and rushed in too. They weren't trying to kill them all, they were just trying to get to the ship.

Eventually, they managed it, even though Talia did sustain an injury. Someone managed to slash across her side and she was losing some blood, but managed to get on-board the ship. Niha made it on, closed the door and set the ship to fly away fast. They blasted into hyperspace and were gone. When the ship was finally set to auto-pilot Niha went to tend to Talia's wounds. She was in great pain.

" **What the fuck is wrong with you?!"** Talia yelled. The pain and everything that had just happened seemed to get to her and she wasn't happy. Niha didn't know how to react right away. **"What happened back there?"**

Niha stopped, took off his helmet and placed his left hand on her face as the right hand kept her hands pressed on her wound to keep the blood in. He wore a serious expression. **"When I found you, I saw great power within you. I knew you would help me to achieve the true goal of the Dark Blades. Bring back our true Master. Help him get to full power and take the Galaxy back for our own once more."**

" **What… what are you…"** Talia couldn't get her sentence out as she was starting to fall unconscious from the blood loss. She couldn't help herself, soon enough, she was out.

* * *

Some time passed by. Niha and Talia were still travelling together and Niha was starting to embrace the role of a bounty hunter a bit more. He was taking down enemies of other people and earning money to pay for upgrades to his ship and his armour. Talia was just along for the ride right now. She had no other purpose in life. She had only known the streets… and Yamo Niha. She couldn't just leave him. Not until she had fully regained her strength.

She also needed to make sure she would be safe from being found by any Dark Blades. They had been tracking Niha and Talia. The duo were now enemies of the Order and the best warriors had been sent to bring them down in any way possible. Niha had already dispatched a few, but they still kept coming. Talia knew she would have to ensure that when she parted ways with Niha, it was in a safe place.

One day, Niha came to her and said that he had taken a job. Talia took this information on-board, but she then made her decision. She didn't want to take part in this mission. She had things to do on their base planet. Niha accepted this and went to do the mission on his own. When he returned, he wasn't happy, but he made it clear they would need to move to a new location.

They went to the ship on its isolated platform and Talia made her decision. She went onto the ship grabbed her stuff and walked out. Niha was on the platform and noticed that Talia was walking towards him, and she had both her blades drawn. He was confused.

" **What's the problem?"** He asked, but wasn't given a chance to answer as Talia leapt forward, phasing at the same time and she reappeared, slashing her blades towards Niha's face. The man dropped back and flipped away. Talia landed and pounced forward again and began slashing with intent to kill. Niha was doing his best to dodge them and soon activated a small shield on this wrist and started defending against the swords. There was no talking, just fighting.

Eventually, Niha managed to give himself an opening and charged Talia knocking her back against a pillar. She hit it and dropped to her knee, but as Niha opened fire from his wrist gun she sprung up into the air and launched one of her blades towards Niha. It landed in front of him, stabbed into the ground and Niha stepped back. Talia then fired an energy blast down in front of him and that knocked him back, sending him off of the platform. Talia landed and picked her sword up, knowing it couldn't be over that easily.

Niha flew back up to the platform, using his jet boosters and drew his own sword. He charged in towards her and attempted to slice down on her. Talia had to duck and roll to avoid it and jumped up at the end to avoid another attempted slash from Niha. She hadn't fought with him in a very long time, and then it had been training, but this was a real fight. Talia gripped her swords and waited for Niha to come towards her. As he charged in she jumped up and over, and slashed at the back of his suit. It caught some sort of power wire and Niha lost control, falling to the ground. He quickly got up but as he did he noticed a couple of people behind Talia, in black cloaks. They were Dark Blades.

Niha fired one of his rockets towards Talia and the girl had to dive out of the way, but it detonated close to her and flung her back to the Dark Blades. Her swords fell to the ground in front of her and Niha boarded his ship, flying off quickly. Talia tried to get up, but was held back by these Dark Blades. She watched as Niha flew away on the ship and thought about something. He was strong enough to kill her and these Dark Blades… but he decided to leave… maybe, deep down, he cared about her too much to actually kill her. Talia kept this in mind as she was dragged away by the Dark Blades.

She didn't know how long it had been, but she was woken up once she was thrown inside a cell. She hit the ground and finally came to. Shaking her head. It was a Dark Blades prison cell. So, she knew it all too well. She also knew how hard it was to break out. Basically impossible. She looked up and to the cell across from her where two male aliens sat. One large and yellow-skinned, wearing a damaged Cold Empire uniform. The other was purple skinned, a bit more average height, like Niha. They both looked hardened but tired. Talia glared and turned her back on them.

She didn't like being stared at, and she needed to figure out the best way to get herself out of there.

* * *

 _So there's the end of the backstory chapters. Niku's, Guida's, and now Talia's stories have been told. With bits of Yamo Niha's story littered throughout. He will be touched upon more in the rest of this arc, which starts next time!_

 _The couple of chapters of this arc will focus on the team before they met Noca in the previous arc, and then the remainder of the arc will be set after they have met Noca. There are still between 4 and 6 chapters left of this arc if I'm honest. Maybe more. I have quite a few ideas coming._

 _Either way, I hope you enjoyed this, despite how dark it may have gotten. And please, leave a review if you can._

 _Next Time... Chapter 27: Breakout_


	27. Arc VI: Breakout

_Guess who's back?! Hello! I'm sorry I've been away for so long, but I've been hard at work with University. I've got plenty of this story written to satisfy you for the next few weeks and I'm still working on the rest of the story. Just because I've taken a long break doesn't mean I've stopped writing it! That will never happen... until the end of course. ANYWAY! I hope you enjoy this chapter._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 27: Breakout**_

 _Early Age 795 – Planet Haken, Dark Blade Castle_

There were many prisoners in their cells, shouting out for freedom. Begging for food and water, and there were even screams when some touched the electrified bars. But in one part of the prison three prisoners were all sitting in silence, but in close proximity. Talia was in her own cell, but just across from her was another cell, inside were Guida and Niku. She didn't know their names and they didn't know hers, but what was to come of this trio?

A couple of prison guards came by and threw in plates of food at the prisoners and that was all they would get for the day. Talia took the food without questioning the look of it or even turning her nose up at it. She had once lived on the streets, so she could eat anything. Guida and Niku were still unhappy about it, but they did their best to force it down.

Once finished, Niku and Guida made sure to look around them and got down to plotting some sort of escape plan. They hadn't known one another long, but they already had a common enemy and if they work together then maybe they could get what they want. Talia happened to overhear something and decided to focus a little more.

" **When they come around for the next feeding if one of us acts like we're injured maybe they'll come near the cell…"** Guida said, looking over his shoulder, seeing that Talia had her back to them and the guards weren't around. **"We can grab one of them and pull them into the cell wall… they'll get electrocuted and we'll be able to grab their weapon."**

" **You really think that will work? What if we get affected by the electricity?"** Niku questioned.

" **We'll have to deal with it, but you want to get out of here, right?"** Guida responded with his own question, and it's not one that Niku would say no to.

" **Of course, I do…"** Niku replied.

" **And you want to get revenge on Niha?"** Guida followed up. Niku nodded and this was when Talia's ears picked up and she found herself wanting to turn around and say something. She didn't, but if they were going after Niha… **"We both want him dead… and we will kill him."**

Guida stated and this actually made Talia chuckle a little and it grabbed the attention of the two men.

" **What's so funny?"**

Guida stood up and moved towards the cell bars, looking towards the girl whom still had her back to him. She looked over her shoulder and slowly stood up.

" **Well, I heard you plan to kill Yamo Niha… and…"** Talia then stopped, not knowing what Niha had did to these men and whether or not she was somehow involved. **"Well, by reputation… I've heard he's pretty tough."**

" **I'll take my chances… I have my reasons for wanting him dead,"** Guida followed up, glaring at Talia. The girl just smirked and sat back down. Guida clenched his fist, but sat down next to Niku again and tried to hold his silence. Niku gave him an inquiring look. **"We'll bide our time… we'll get out of here."**

Talia turned around completely and pretended to go to sleep, but really, she was thinking about what could happen if these men did manage to break out. This could be her chance to get away from the Dark Blades for good and find a way to live her life. Either way, she had to agree with Guida… they needed to bide their time. And that was exactly what the trio seemed to do, but in their own ways. Talia would work out, wanting to ensure she kept fit and strong for whenever an attack would happen. She was familiar enough with these Prison Guards and knew they wouldn't pay any attention to their prisoners unless they got violent, plus they didn't really want to pick a fight with Talia after knowing who her master had been.

Guida and Niku spent most of their time watching the routine of the guards and anyone else that came through. Everything seemed to have some sort of schedule so this made things rather easy to understand. Doesn't mean it made things any easier. The plan would still be very difficult to pull off, but at least they would have an idea of how many people would be around at any one time.

* * *

One night, Guida and Niku were asleep in their cells and some Dark Blades came walking through the Prison late at night. Guida heard the movement and it brought him awake, but it was rather dark and he couldn't quite see what was going on, but they were opening Talia's cell. He didn't move, but tried his best to look over and hear what was going on.

" **You, girl. You are to be brought before the remaining Masters,"** One of the cloaked figures said. Talia moved and stood up. She walked towards them and they pushed her out of the cell and along the hall a bit. She looked down at Guida and noticed he was awake. She then looked forward and around her. The two cloaked figures that were guiding her didn't seem to be that strong. She looked to the wall and noticed some controls. She only assumed what they would do.

With a swift movement Talia took the initiative and dropped to the ground, kicking out at one of the cloaks. He fell to the ground and as he did Talia leapt up and kicked the other one down to the ground. She then charged to the control panel and hit it. Suddenly, the lights came up and all of the prison cells opened. It took a second for the prisoners to realise what had happened, but they were one step towards freedom. They started to gingerly walk out of their cells as the two Dark Blades stood up and the Prison Guards took out their weapons.

Talia looked around over them all and knew that things would be potentially very dangerous, but this was necessary for her escape. A few more guards rushed in and Talia grabbed a sword from the wall. And started fighting. Guida and Niku looked to each other and nodded. They rushed the guards and fought them for their weapons. This was also what the rest of the prisoners were doing. Things were getting rough. Blood was being shed. Guards were dying. Prisoners were dying. Guida, Niku and Talia were all fighting.

Talia tried her best to fight the guards off at the entrance. She knew that was her best route out and she would need to fight through them as quickly as she could. Guida and Niku were doing their best to stay together and move through these guards. They also needed to find a way out, and they needed to get to some form of transport. Guida motioned for Niku to follow him as he moved towards the exit that Talia was close to.

The proper Dark Blades that had come to take Talia away were up and had their weapons drawn. They were ready to stop Talia from leaving. The two of them stepped forward with their blades out and Talia held her blade forward. She started to move forward, willing to go all out, but Guida and Niku came in, throwing weapons towards these Dark Blades. Talia was distracted and was glad she didn't have to show off her skills as a former Dark Blade. Guida rushed off and Niku turned back to face Talia.

" **Come with us,"** He suggested, but Talia ran past Niku and off in a different direction to where Guida and Niku went. They were going towards the exit, but she was going somewhere else first. She kept the sword by her side and swiped at any guards or warriors that came in her way. She was doing her best to avoid using her energy right now. She hadn't been eating properly so her strength was a bit low. She knew where she was headed… she needed her own swords and cloak.

She jumped into a new hallway and rolled past a Dark Blade, swiping at his leg in the process. He collapsed as Talia leapt up and dropped her sword into his back. She pulled it out and charged towards another oncoming enemy. They tried to slash at her with the sword, but she jumped up and over, swinging around her sword and cutting off their head. She continued to run off up the hallway. She came to a larger room and had nowhere to go. There were three prison guards and one normal Dark Blade in this room and there on the table to the left were her swords and cloak.

Talia glanced over to them and then stared at the four enemies ahead of her. They drew their weapons and walked towards her. She gripped the sword and began channelling her energy. She would need to call upon just a little bit of it for this fight. The enemies came towards her some more and Talia closed her eyes. She tracked their energies and once they were in the best positions, she reacted. Her eyes opened and she went on the attack.

First, she leapt at one of the guards, planting the blade squarely through their face and grabbing that guards blade. She then launched that blade at another guard, hitting him in the shoulder and she then jumped towards the last of the guards and swiped across his chest and drove the sword up through his head. Two of the guards were dead already, but the one with the sword in his shoulder and the Dark Blade warrior were still in this fight. Talia threw her sword at the other guard and that one went through his chest. He wasn't in a good way.

This left the Dark Blade warrior. Talia stood strong and let her Ki flow. A white energy started to grow around her and her eyes were shining gold. The Dark Blade was unsure of what this was, but he wasn't going to back down. Talia started sprinting towards them and on her way, she grabbed both swords from that other guard's body and she was ready to use both in this fight.

The Dark Blade swiped down at her and she parried with the blade in her left hand and followed up by jabbing with the one in her right. The warrior managed to move back and avoid the jab and he slashed down towards Talia. The girl dove to the left and rolled away, but misjudged it and slipped when trying to get up. This gave the warrior an advantage. He moved in on her and Talia growled in anger, jumping up and throwing both swords towards the warrior. He knocked one of them away, but the second one struck his foot and kept it stuck to the ground. He couldn't move it without taking the blade out of his foot.

He was about to take it out, but Talia dropped in, grabbed the man around his neck and pulled him back, this caused the blade to slash through his foot and rip out through the front. He let out a pained scream as Talia grabbed his own blade and drove it through his open mouth. She jumped up, grabbed her two swords, sheathed them on her back and threw her cloak over them. She now needed to get out this castle and off of this planet.

While Talia made her way towards the outside, Guida and Niku had already found themselves out on a platform with the rest of the prisoners. They were still fighting off some warriors and guards while looking for some form of transport. Something to get them off of the planet. Something suitable for long distance, but there was nothing around. They continued to fight while looking around for something. A group of Dark Blade warriors started striking down the prisoners and were making their way towards Guida and Niku.

" **This doesn't look good,"** Niku said, keeping the sword he had stolen held up. Guida was looking around desperately and getting a little panicked about it all. He had no idea what to do in this scenario. He finally looked around and noticed that this castle was huge, isolated and built into a mountain. There were platforms, but no ships around. The surviving prisoners found themselves being backed towards the edge of the platform with Guida and Niku.

The Dark Blade warriors had stopped attacking, but everyone was scared of them. Guida and Niku looked to each other again and were both rather worried. How were they getting out of this one? How were they going to survive now? It was almost impossible. Guida dropped his sword and didn't know what to do. He was really at a loss. Niku looked to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

" **Remember why we're doing this… remember that it's for your family,"** Niku said, trying to reassure the former Patrolman. Guida looked up at Niku and was about to say something, but there was an explosion from within the castle. The two allies and all of the prisoners currently alive focussed their attentions towards the Castle, as did the Dark Blades that had ganged up on them. From out of the front doors came a small vehicle, like a hover-bike. Riding it was Talia. She found a vehicle. It wouldn't get her off of the planet, but it would certainly get her away from the castle.

She flew towards the edge of the platform and the group that had been fighting. She drew one of her swords and prepared to attack anyone that got in her way. She swiped the sword as best she could while keeping the bike straight and heading for her target. She was fine defending her right side, but her left remained rather open and undefended. Talia headed straight into the group and many of the Dark Blades had to jump out of the way, but the ones on her left found their chance.

One of them slashed at her and the teenage warrior had to quickly adjust to try and defend, but didn't manage it well enough. Her leg got caught slightly and Talia leaned too much to one side that the controls mixed up and the bike turned. She was flung from the bike and hit the floor in the centre of the group, but the bike continued.

Guida and Niku watched this and the smaller of the two, Guida, turned to Niku. **"Cover me, I'm going for the bike. It may be our way out of here,"** The former patrolman commanded as he rushed for the bike. Thanks to the commotion caused by Talia's entrance… or exit, the group were all fighting one another again and Guida managed to go unnoticed as he went for the bike.

Niku moved along with Guida, making sure to knock any opponents out of the way and give Guida the clearest route to the bike. The former patrolman made it and leapt on the moving vehicle and turned to get close to Niku.

" **Hop on!"** He yelled to his new companion and made sure to move in such a way that Niku could jump on the back. He did, and the two were in the clear to get off of the platform and get away from this castle. They had no idea where they would go. Talia looked up from her place on the ground and noticed this. She wasn't about to lose her best route away from this place.

The girl jumped up took one of her swords in hand and rushed through the group, slashing at anyone that got in her way. Whether they be a Dark Blade, or a prisoner, Talia would get them out of her way. She rushed towards the bike as it got to the end and knew she wouldn't make it unless she could access her energy. She focussed as best she could and managed to move slightly faster and jumped for the edge of the platform just as the bike left.

She was very close to grabbing the back of it, but couldn't quite reach. Talia was going to miss, she was going to fall… presumably to her death. This wasn't going to be good, but… she was saved. Someone grabbed her wrist and she instantly looked up to see the yellow-skinned alien that was on the back of the bike.

" **Easy does it,"** Niku said to her as he hoisted her up. Guida looked back and grunted.

" **Why did you save her? Now we're likely to be caught…"** Guida said, sounding rather annoyed about this, **"She will slow us down."**

" **No. I won't,"** Talia said, confidently and with an offended tone. **"I know where we need to go to get a ship, so you're only gonna get off this planet because of me."**

Guida grunted again and looked forward as he continued to take the bike straight as it slowly, but surely, descended to the ground. **"Where are we going then?"**

" **Head to the east slightly and we'll hit a city in about 45 minutes,"** Talia explained, **"Once there we'll be able to find transport."**

" **How do you know this?"** Guida asked. Talia was about to answer, but remembered she was keeping her former allegiance to the Dark Blades a secret. She didn't want to be found out.

" **I lived in the city… that's all,"** Talia answered, trying to end it there. **"Just go as fast as possible, so we can get off of this planet."**

Guida didn't say anything more and just kept the bike going forward. Niku remained quiet too, as Talia gripped onto him to make sure she stayed on the bike. She glanced back at the castle and wondered whether or not they would send any Dark Blades after them. She hoped to finally be away from them, but that was never going to happen. Not as long as they still associated her with him…

About 45 minutes passed and the trio were finally entering the city. It really felt like it had been situated right in the middle of nowhere, but it was a large city. Talia continued to give Guida directions as they made their way through the city. They were headed for the space-port and they would do their absolute best to commandeer and ship there, and perhaps some supplies to last them.

They left the bike about 3 miles away from the space-port and walked the rest of the way. It wasn't worth the risk of being tracked to the port and found out. Talia was still injured and her leg was bleeding, but there was no way she would let these two know. She didn't want to give them any excuse to leave her behind. When they arrived at the space-port they noticed it was very busy. Full of different people and aliens heading off to new locations or just getting in to this one.

Talia did her best to scout a ship and saw one that would be fast and spacious. She was about to suggest it, but Niku appeared behind her.

" **Not that one, they just got here and they aren't unloading much,"** Niku explained, **"That means their supplies will be low."**

Niku turned around and started to look through a little better and found one that may just suit their needs. It wasn't too big, but it could certainly house three of them, and had enough storage space. Niku pointed and got the attentions of Guida and Talia.

" **That one. They're about to leave, but there aren't any pilots around. We can get in there quick and get out of here,"** Niku said as he prepared to step forward. Guida grabbed his arm.

" **I've never flown a ship like that, will it be ok?"** He asked, Niku smirked.

" **Don't worry, I flew plenty of these ships when I was in the Empire,"** He informed the duo. Talia glanced at him, receiving absolute confirmation that his armour wasn't just for show. He was in the Cold Empire. She bit her lip and looked around, noticing a group of loud alien men coming their way. They were unnoticed, but they may own this ship.

" **We better go quick,"** Talia said as she walked past the two of them and headed up the ramp into the ship. Niku and Guida quickly followed, closing the ramp behind them. The three of them rushed into the control room and noticed something they weren't expecting; the ship was already taking off and flying out the port. Before long, they were blasting up into the atmosphere. Niku rushed forward to the main control computer and noticed a robot sitting.

" **Do not worry, dear Masters, we will reach the rendezvous point in no time,"** The robot said, in what was presumably a male voice. It turned to Niku and then stared right at him. Niku stared down, no idea what to say back. **"You are not one of my Masters."**

The robots head turned around to face backwards and saw Talia and Guida.

" **Neither are you…"** The robot said. It stood up and both its arms turned into weapons. **"I must ask you to identify yourselves."**

The Robot's two large glowing blue eyes turned red, as did the light bar that served as a mouth. Niku held his hands up and Talia put her hands on the handles of her blades.

" **We are not here to hurt you… we just need this ship,"** Niku explained, the robot didn't move or say anything, but kept the weapons aimed on the intruders. **"You already left the planet so… we may as well be allies…"**

The robot returned to its neutral mode and sat back down. **"That is fair. Please state your names and tell me where we must go. I am AIR dash THREE EN."**

Niku looked at the robot's arm and saw AIR-3N. He chuckled. **"I'm Niku. And do you mind if we call you Airen. It's just easier."**

The robot turned and stared at Niku for a bit. **"That seems entirely fair."**

Talia and Guida let the robot know who they were, but they didn't have any suggestions on where to head next. Niku said they would like to avoid anything Cold Empire and Dark Blades related. Airen told them of a planet that would help them restock and perhaps find some work to try and earn credits. Airen also went ahead and informed them that he didn't care much for his previous Masters who had apparently been gang members and smugglers, so he erased any trace of them from the ship and changed the codes and tracking details so that no one could find them.

He even purged their accounts and downloaded all their credits into his own databanks, meaning that this trio didn't need to find any work just yet and would have enough money to resupply the ship when it would need it and even find some weapons, if needed. Turns out the cargo for the next trip were weapons anyway. Things were looking up for this unlikely alliance… but, there were secrets still to be revealed. Those would come in due time.

* * *

 _On a Planet far from Haken, days later_

An armoured being sits in a large room overlooking a city. He is leaning against the glass of the window and looking outside. Another being enters the room, wearing something similar to a Cold Empire armour, but heavily customised. He is light purple skinned with a very dark purple Mohawk for his hair style. He stood with his arms crossed, confidently, but seemed to harbour some unfortunate news.

" **You wanted to see me?"** The purple alien enquired. The armoured being turned around, we may as well confirm this as Yamo Niha now. He walked over to the alien.

" **I have just received news of a mass breakout on Haken, from my castle… and a ship taken from the port in the nearest city,"** Niha explained to this unknown ally. **"Thanks to some informants I have still working for the Dark Blades, I know that amongst the escapees are a Cold Empire soldier I failed to kill, an old ally of mine… and… your brother."**

The purple-skinned being seemed very shocked by this. **"He's… he's still alive?"** The alien asked, as if he was worried about this news.

" **Yes, and I want you to track all three of them down. Kill the soldier, and your brother… but the girl… bring her back to me,"** Niha turned around and looked out of the mirror, **"I need her. You got that, Shirken?"**

Shirken looked to the ground and sighed, but he looked up and nodded to Niha. **"I'll do it, sir."**

Shirken left the room and rushed off to gather his crew. Meanwhile, Niha remained in the room and removed his helmet, dropping it to the ground. He rested his head against the window and looked down. **"I trained you well… and I need you… Talia."**

* * *

 _Hope there was something in that chapter for you all to enjoy. Leave a review if you want to. I'd love to hear what you have to say and if you missed me, you have to tell me. It's the law._

 _Also, if you want to talk to me about this story or anything else Dragon Ball related, such as Dragon Ball Super, you can hit me up on here through the Private Messaging, or on Twitter ConnorJN_AG15._

 _Next Time... Chapter 28: Unlikely Team_


	28. Arc VI: Unlikely Team

_Here's another chapter, right on time, for you lovely people. Please enjoy as we start to see the groundwork for this team start to form!_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 28: Unlikely Team**_

 _Somewhere in Space_

The lone ship slowly floated through the emptiness of space. It was quiet, despite the fact that all four of the occupants were sitting in the control room. Guida sat in a chair in the middle of the room. His right hand resting over his mouth, and his elbow on the arm-rest. He was looking dead ahead, into space, as the ship moved on. Talia was sitting at the back of the room, in a chair in front of a small screen. She was sitting forward, keeping her eyes on the others, unsure of their intentions right now. Niku was sitting at the front of the room at the main control desk with the robot, Airen. Speaking of Airen. He was looking over at Niku, not sure what to say or do. Niku took no notice.

Airen looked over his shoulder briefly and then forward again. He looked over to Niku once more.

" **You are an odd bunch,"** He said. Niku looked over slowly and then glanced over his shoulder. Guida didn't look away from the front window. Niku turned back to face the front and cleared his throat.

" **I'm flying this ship, but I don't even know where we're going…"** Niku stated, he turned around fully to face Guida. **"Where are we going?"**

Guida looked down at Niku, but had nothing to say. He closed his eyes and leant forward. He placed both hands over his eyes and sighed. Niku sat patiently. Talia stood up and walked over.

" **Haven't you idiots planned this? You're the ones that wanted to escape,"** Talia asked, surprised they hadn't planned anything. Guida turned and looked down at her, but she could read nothing from him. He was either angry, or sad… or tired. It was weird. She just shut up, sighed and walked back to her seat.

" **She's right…"** Niku said, Guida turned to face his new ally and his brow furrowed. **"I know we had plans, but… we never planned this far."**

Talia dropped back into her seat and watched the two, in silence. Guida stood up and walked down to Niku.

" **It was never going to be easy once we got to this part. We have nothing to go back to because of Yamo Niha,"** Guida explained. Talia looked down and shuffled a little awkwardly, but it went unnoticed. **"We're going to find him. We're going to hunt him down. We're going to get our revenge and kill him."**

Talia sat up slightly, but still remained quiet.

" **It's not that easy…"** Niku mentioned, standing up in front of Guida.

" **No. It won't be,"** Guida responded, **"But we will do it."**

That was when she made a slight mistake. Talia scoffed to herself, but louder than expected. Both Guida and Niku turned to face her.

" **Excuse me?"** Guida said, a little annoyed. This girl meant nothing to him right now and she wasn't making him feel any differently.

" **Huh…"** Talia said as she turned to face the duo, standing across the room. She shook her head. **"Nothing."**

" **No, no. I believe you made a sound,"** Guida said, stepping a little closer to the girl. She looked away, shaking her head.

" **Yes. She did make a noise,"** Airen said, not turning away from his control desk. Both Guida and Niku turned to face him, even Talia looked over. **"I believe it is something you people call a 'scoff.' Most commonly used when someone finds something amusing or even surprising."**

There was an uneasy silence for a second before Guida turned away from the robot and walked closer to Talia.

" **That's what I heard,"** Guida said, standing over her. Talia shifted a little more uncomfortably in her seat and looked up at him.

" **I just…"** She started, hesitating a bit. She looked down and thought. Guida standing there was putting some pressure on her, but she had to say something. **"I just think… you guys won't have a chance against him."**

" **What do you…"** Guida started, but was abruptly cut off when the ship was hit from behind and jolted all of them forward. Niku fell back towards the console. Guida fell back, tripping and falling and Talia was knocked forward, but managed to put her hands out to stop herself. Airen's head smacked onto the console in front of him, but he was fine otherwise.

" **What was that?"** The robot asked the rest of them as they steadied themselves in case of another impact.

" **Someone hit us,"** Niku said, sitting back in the chair and looking at the small screen in front of him. **"It's another ship… a larger one."**

" **I can get us out of this, but it will include running our fuel to the last drop,"** Airen suggested.

" **What good will that do us if we run out of fuel?"** Guida asked, clearly not impressed by this idea.

" **Well, we will be fine, sir. There is a planet where we can land and be able to resupply and refuel,"** Airen explained to them all, **"This escape plan will get us to that planet with just a tiny bit of fuel left over, but at a great speed. We will get away from these attackers safely."**

Niku turned and looked to Guida. The purple-skinned alien looked over to the former Cold-Empire soldier and nodded.

" **Fine, Airen. Do it,"** Guida commanded before sitting back in his chair.

" **I suggest you all strap in, this will not be comfortable," Airen** informed them. Talia sat back down and strapped herself in as the others did, but she honestly didn't have any of this scenario on her mind. She realised she had dug herself into a hole with Guida and Niku now and she would need to build that ladder to get back out of it.

Airen punched in the controls and the ship blasted away from the larger one following closely behind. That larger ship also sped up and continued to follow, but was managing to fall behind just a little bit.

" **They are keeping up with us, but we will be able to lose them once we land. I am certain of this,"** Airen explained.

Airen continued to fly the ship, but Niku was noticing that they weren't falling any further back. They had managed to remain a safe distance in front, but they were still being followed.

" **This is no good, we can't get away,"** Niku announced to the room. Guida slammed his fist down.

" **This isn't what we should be doing,"** He stood up and walked forward, **"We should turn around and fight them. We can't be weak and run away. This is just going to make things worse."**

Talia stood up and rushed over.

" **We can't possibly know who that is following us. We need to get away to safety and then you can think of a plan when we land,"** Talia was talking sense and even Niku nodded. Guida turned around slowly and glared at the teenager.

" **You're not in charge here, you don't get to make the orders,"** Guida told her. She scoffed again and shook her head, clearly annoyed by this.

" **What, and you are? Listen. We're not a team. You don't lead us. And I don't take orders from anyone anymore,"** Talia explained, standing up to Guida. He breathed through his nose, clearly angered by the way she spoke to him. **"I just know that this can work."**

Before Guida could say anymore the ship was hit again and this time an alarm went off.

" **Our shields will not sustain too many more of those,"** Airen explained, **"We are nearly arriving at Planet Gastu'un. We can land in their port and blend in."**

Guida looked over to them and finally agreed. Talia walked off, out of the room, returning to her quarters as Airen continued to fly forward and bring the ship down onto the planet. He managed to pour most of the fuel into one last burst and blasted into the port, managing to land amongst a busy sector. The large ship got lost due to the amount of ships flying in and out of the port at one time.

Airen and Niku decided it would be best to lay low for a while and do their resupplying and refuelling at nightfall. This way they could go unseen and hopefully whoever was following them would have left.

As night fell, Guida told Niku and Airen to stay with the ship while he and Talia went to fetch supplies. Talia didn't understand why she was asked to go with him, but she did so without any questions. This was the only way to remain amicable right now, plus she wanted to make sure he didn't do anything stupid to get them arrested or found by those chasing them.

Guida and Talia entered the port and started to look around. They weren't exactly sure what it was they should be looking for, but they still did their best to remain low and look around. Talia goes up to a stall and uses a few credits to buy some food. As she re-joins Guida's side she attempted to hand him some of the food. Guida just looked down at her, but kept on walking. Talia sighed and rolled her eyes walking off to the left as Guida went on forward.

She walked over to a railing that looked down to the lower levels of the port, and that's when she spotted it. She backed up quickly, but instantly bumped into Guida. The girl stumbled forward, but quickly turned on her heal and looked up to Guida. He had a concerned expression on his face as he walked forward.

" **What is it?"** He asked as he looked down over the railing. Talia was going to stop him, but didn't act in time. **"That's… it's the ship that was following us…"**

Sure enough, it was. Guida turned and started looking for a staircase or elevator that would take them down to the next to level. Talia stepped in front of him and Guida stalled. He didn't look happy, but Talia was serious.

" **We don't know how many of them there are… we can't just rush in,"** Talia tried to explain. Guida looked back over the railing and punched it, turning to face Talia again.

" **So, what do you suggest?"** Guida asked, even though he really didn't care about what she had to say. Talia looked over the railing again as a couple of aliens stepped out. There were two of them so far, but a ship with that size. It had plenty of cargo space and could probably house about 10 people.

" **So far, I can only see two of them, but there could be way more inside,"** Talia explained. She turned around, but walked past Guida, clearly contemplating something. **"Maybe if we can find a way to sneak around them? It is dark now."**

Guida looked down again and then sighed.

" **Fine."**

" **It's the best option,"** Talia said, trying to sound friendlier than she had previously. Guida looked at her and shook his head as he walked off to the left. **"Where are you going?"**

" **If we're going to try and sneak around them it would be best if we came from different sides,"** Guida explained as he continued on that way. Talia looked down again and tried to find a good route down. She was just relieved that she had remembered to bring a small dagger with her. Her swords would draw too much attention in this scenario.

Both of them managed to get down there quietly and unseen, but they still need to get close to the ship and at least try to take out these two members of this crew. Perhaps they could pick them off one-by-one and eventually take them all out. It shouldn't be too difficult. Guida didn't want to use any sort of guns, or his energy, so he decided to grab something from nearby to use as a weapon. He managed to find a hammer, but it probably wouldn't be good enough.

* * *

Back at the ship, Niku was taking a moment to walk through the ship and check everything was good with the machinery and in the cargo areas. He took a look through the living quarters of all the occupants. He knew that it could be seen as being very nosy and rude, but he had to be wary and keep his guard up. He got to Talia's room and walked inside, closing the door behind him. A small light came on. It didn't reveal much to the former Cold Empire soldier. A small bed, neatly made. A table and chair. Then a bathroom area, but there was something shiny inside the small closet space.

Niku approached it, warily. He slowly opened the door and that's when he saw them. Two blades. They were sheathed, but they were good looking swords. He looked to the door and reached for one of the swords. He attempted to take it by the handle, but as he touched it the whole thing started to glow red and the metal on the handle gleamed. It started to burn at Niku's hand and he had to let go. He backed up, grunting and gripping his hand.

He looked back at the sword as the light faded, but before it completely disappeared it shone around a small logo on the hilt. It was an insignia he instantly recognised, but didn't expect to see. He was knowledgeable about a few things. Like how these swords couldn't be held by just anybody. Niku knew what this meant and he wasn't sure what to do about it right now, but he was slightly worried. He took both swords, this time making sure not to touch the handles.

* * *

Back at the strange ship, Talia and Guida were on the approach from their individual sides. Guida couldn't see a way to get closer to his target. The Alien, a fat and tall pink-ish alien with some spikes on his body (Dodoria Species), was leaning against a railing, but he was facing the direction that Guida was hiding in. Guida was concealed behind some boxes and in the dark so he couldn't be see. He lifted his pistol and made sure to have it aimed on the target.

Meanwhile, Talia was getting around and towards her opponent. She didn't take in too much about his appearance, but he was pretty scrawny and holding a rifle. He was just pacing back and forth, unaware of Talia approaching from behind the boxes. She was about to dart to the next box, but the alien started walking towards her and she had to drop back quickly. Doing this caused her to accidentally shift the box and this drew the attention of the alien. He started to slowly make his way towards the box, gun trained on it.

Talia cursed to herself as she gripped the blade tightly and took a breath. The man was just about to come around the box and catch her. She shifted slightly and got into a better position. The alien came around the corner and noticed Talia, but before he could say anything or call out she leapt towards him, kicked the gun of his hands and then plunged the blade right into his throat. She stood there with the blade embedded in his neck as the blood poured out onto her arms.

She retracted the blade and the alien dropped to the ground, dead. Talia dropped to her knees breathing heavily, she hadn't expected to flat out kill that man, but her instincts took over. She shook it off and started to move closer to the ship.

Guida finally believed he had his moment and took a shot towards the larger alien, but he shifted slightly causing the bolt to strike him in the chest… which was protected by armour. The man stumbled back, hitting the railing, but he instantly shot out trying to catch a target.

" **Who's there?!"** He yelled as he continued to fire blindly. Guida dropped into cover and cursed to himself. Talia could clearly hear the noise and had to freeze, not wanting to get found as well. Guida leapt out of cover and started firing towards the alien, but he wasn't doing a great job. Talia spotted this and cursed out loud. She started rushing towards the scene.

Guida wasn't lucky enough in this scenario and took a blaster bolt to the ankle and that caused him to trip. Guida crashed into the ground and Talia tried to speed up to make an effort, but she was stopped in her tracks as a larger alien stepped in front of her. Talia fell back to the ground and looked up to see quite a tall and tough looking alien… with four arms. She cursed and tried to get up and attack, but the Alien grabbed her and took her towards the ship.

" **Shibo, bring that other one!"** The four-armed fighter yelled out to the fatter alien as he walked up the platform onto their ship. Both Guida and Talia were taken to a brig area and thrown into a cell. Again. Talia sat up against the wall and scowled at Guida. The former Patrolman was feeling his ankle, still in some pain, but Talia didn't care.

" **I should've left you… instead you get us caught,"** Talia said, not holding back. She was angry and didn't want this to happen. They had no idea who these people really were. **"I don't know why I bothered."**

Guida glared at her, but didn't have anything to say. He turned away from her, but as he did the cell door opened and the two of them were lifted up and their hands were bound.

" **We're gonna take you to the boss,"** Shibo explained, chuckling. The four-armed fighter (Tufa) was standing in the doorway, smirking as the two went past him.

" **Hey, da girl's cute, eh?"** Tufa said, nudging Shibo as he went by. Shibo just shook his head and continued on. Tufa chuckled as he followed. Once they entered the next room, Guida and Talia were knocked down to their knees. **"Our boss will be in soon, then he'll 'ave some questions for ya."**

Guida continued to look down, but Talia looked up, ready to greet whoever their captor was. She clenched her fists, even though they were bound behind her back and she couldn't do anything right now. The door in front of the duo opened and two more aliens entered the room.

" **Where's Skanch?"** One of them asked. He sounded snake-like with a hissing effect with his voice. Tufa started to stumble over his words as he tried to explain what had happened.

" **It appears that Skanch was killed by the girl, you shoulda seen the blood Kuiku,"** Shibo explained. Kuiku was the snake-like one. The last one to speak looked at Talia smirking, but he didn't say anything. Talia looked him up and down quickly. He was light purple skinned, with a dark purple Mohawk style, and was about average height and… and…

Talia looked over to Guida, who was still looking down. This final man looked over to Guida and had to do a double take. He stepped back once after seeing him.

" **Guida… this one's the same species as you,"** She said in a hushed tone. Guida looked to her with a questioning look and then up at this other man. Guida looked up and immediately recognised who he was looking at, but he wasn't expecting this.

" **Shirken?"** Guida questioned as he stood up, but was instantly hit with a shock baton and fell back to his knees, grunting in pain. **"How… how did you survive?"**

Guida asked this while still looking down at the ground, but looked up, a glare on his face.

" **Brother."**

Talia turned to Shirken quickly and then back to Guida. She wasn't expecting that piece of information. Shirken clearly wasn't prepared to have whatever conversation was coming and Guida wasn't sure he wanted to have this conversation either, but he thought everyone he cared about was dead.

Shirken clearly wanted to say something, but his lip was trembling for a second.

" **You were a fool to go after the Dark Blades, Guida…"** Shirken uttered, completely dodging the question. **"It was never going to end well for you."**

Guida looked back down, breathing heavily and unsure of what he could say in response.

" **I know…"** Guida said, quietly, tears forming in his eyes. **"I didn't know what it would mean… what it would mean for them all… I… I didn't know."**

Guida looked up and straightened up, knowing he couldn't stand, but wanting to be on his brother's level.

" **I thought I was doing the right thing…"** Guida continues, before taking a breath and composing himself. **"But I still need to know why you weren't there."**

Shirken licked his bottom lip and turned his head away, his eyes darting around nervously.

" **I demand to know,"** Guida said, but was knocked down to the ground again. This time by Shibo's fist in his lower back. Guida arched and hit the ground in pain. Talia tried to get her hands free, but couldn't manage it.

" **I made a deal,"** Shirken said, quickly, and certainly not confidently. **"I told Yamo Niha that I could get you to him if my life was spared…"**

Guida stopped moving for a second, but then slowly moved so he was on his knees and looking towards Shirken. Talia noticed that all emotion seemed to drain from his face in that moment and she couldn't get any sort of read on him.

" **I… I…"** Guida tried his best to get some words out, but it wasn't happening. The tears started to roll down his cheek as he took a deep breath and glared up at Shirken. **"Why didn't you try to defend your own family!"** Guida yelled out, surprising everyone in the room. Talia flinched slightly.

" **I was scared,"** Shirken answered, **"I didn't want to die…"**

" **But my wife… my children… they had to die?!"** Guida screamed. He was seething with rage now. Talia swallowed and looked down to the ground, not sure how she fit into all of this. She spent time racking her brain to remember if she'd seen this race when with Niha, but then she remembered taking out Mothership XIV and knew it was best to keep out of this.

" **I only thought about my own survival…"** Shirken added.

" **And you'll die because of it!"** Guida yelled as he stood up again, but was shocked and dropped to the ground again. Shirken looked away and cleared his throat.

" **We're taking you both to Niha, he'll probably kill you Guida, but the girl… he needs the girl,"** Shirken explained while looking at Talia.

" **No!"** She said, raising her voice and drawing all attention to her. Guida slowly looked over to her, but she completely forgot he was there for this moment. **"I'm never going back to him!"**

Guida wanted to say something about that and enquire further, but wasn't given that chance as Talia leapt up, kicking Shibo back into the wall, her hands still bound. She managed to catch the baton and spun around, throwing it into Tufa's face. As Kuiku approached her she kicked him away and then powered up, managing to break free of the binds. She had been silently preparing her energy while Shirken and Guida had been talking and managed to channel it into her hands for a second. She still had more to learn.

Shirken dropped back against the door, unsure of what could happen next. Talia freed Guida from his binds and then went to rush off, but Guida had other ideas. He went for Shirken and grabbed him around the throat.

" **Where can I find Niha?"** Guida asked, angrily. He punched Shirken in the gut and smacked him around the head. Shirken stumbled to the side and shook his head. He looked over to Guida and moved forward to attack too. He and Guida start to tussle as the others finally get to their feet. Talia noticed this and knew it would be difficult now.

" **Guida, we need to get out of here!"** She yelled and tried to fight the others back. Guida continued to fight as Talia avoided the other three and managed to run off down the halls of the ship towards the exit. The three of them turn around to try and help their leader, letting Talia get away. She finally gets back to their ship and alerts Niku.

" **We need to go and get Guida, they're gonna kill him otherwise,"** Talia explained. Niku was more than willing to help, but had to take a moment.

" **I have something to ask you…"** Niku said, holding up Talia's swords. She eyes them up for a bit and swallows. **"Where did you get these?"**

Talia took a moment to try and find a simple and believable excuse, but these swords were also only connected to her genetic structure and would only work for her. There wasn't a good excuse she could use.

" **You're one of them…"** Niku said, coming to the conclusion himself.

" **That doesn't matter right now, Guida needs help,"** She said, getting Niku's priorities straight.

They acted quickly to get the ship off the ground and down towards the others. Airen kept the ship in the air and started firing the stun weapon down towards the other ship. While Airen did this both Niku and Talia jumped out and went to go and get Guida. He was still busy fighting Shirken and trying to hold off the other three as well, but not doing too well. Niku got in there and managed to draw enough attention to fight a couple of them.

" **Guida, we gotta go!"** Niku said, getting Guida's attention.

" **But Niku, they know how to get to Niha!"** Guida responded. Niku went quiet, and was clearly contemplating it, but he shook his head.

" **It's not a good idea right now, we have to go!"** Niku responded. Guida knocked Shirken off of him and then rushed to the exit with his allies. They were still being chased. Shirken composed himself and pointed down the hall of the ship.

" **Make sure that girl doesn't escape!"** He commanded to his three allies and they rushed down after Talia. Kuiku managed to grab a stun weapon and shoot Talia just as Guida and Niku leapt to their own ship. They dragged her back on and got their ship off the ground and blasted into the atmosphere.

Guida and Niku landed on their own ship, but then noticed Talia wasn't with them. Niku went to Airen.

" **Hey, robot! Get after them!"**

Airen saluted and they began the chase. Guida was trying to process everything that was going through his head, but turned to Niku as the former Soldier approached him.

" **They're going to lead us right to Niha,"** Guida said, smirking up at Niku. Was this their chance?

* * *

 _Thanks for reading, as always. I hope you enjoyed this and look forward to seeing how things resolve in the next chapter! If they do get resolved..._

 _Anyhow, thanks again, and please write a lovely review or send me a PM if you just want to chat about something related to my story. Also, it is my birthday on Saturday, so, keep that in mind._

 _Next Time... Chapter 29: One Opportunity_


	29. Arc VI: One Opportunity

_Here is the new chapter! Hope you enjoy it._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 29: One Opportunity**_

A large ship blasted through the sector, wasting no time in getting to whatever the desired location was. Following behind, but not too close, was another ship. This ship was flown by Airen and had both Guida and Niku on-board. They were heading after the first ship so they could rescue their new ally, Talia. Well, at least that was Niku's intention, Guida, however, had another intention. This was his chance, he thought.

On-board the ship, both Guida and Niku stood together in the control room as they continued on, letting Airen have full reign over the controls. Guida turned to Niku and prepared to say what he needed to.

" **I'm only doing this for him,"** Guida started, unsure of what Niku's reaction might be. Niku turned to face Guida, his arms folded. **"I'm only going after Talia so I can get to Yamo Niha."**

Niku looked to the ground and sighed.

" **I thought as much…"** He muttered.

" **We're just not going to get another chance like this one. We are being lead right to him. We can finish him off… like he deserves,"** Guida tried to explain, but Niku was doing his best to ignore it.

" **We can't just use Talia as bait… that's wrong… and it's unfair,"** Niku turned to say, not doing very well to hold in his opinion.

" **Do you trust her?"** Guida asked, straight to the point. Niku opened his mouth to speak, to plead in Talia's defence, but to be honest, he had nothing to say. Niku didn't know Talia and he couldn't speak for her, but he wanted to believe she could be a good ally. Niku pondered telling Guida about his discovery about Talia, but knew it would be best coming from her.

" **I don't think we should be so quick to judge her,"** Niku said. The only thing that he could think to say that seemed remotely neutral. Guida shook his head.

" **She was scared of Niha… but Niha wanted her. What does that tell you? She knows him. Somehow. Do you really think we should be trusting her?"** Guida said, voicing his concerns in a very rational way. Niku couldn't argue that she did seem very suspicious. He was about to say something more, but Airen distracted them.

" **I should probably inform the two of you that our enemies appear to be approaching a small, abandoned Mercenary Base located in Sector 21-53,"** The robot announced. Niku stepped forward, towards the control desk.

" **Abandoned… that's weird, it wasn't when the armies were last here,"** Niku mentioned, to no one in particular.

" **Well, there is a single life-form on-board, and there are about to be five more,"** Airen responded, not looking away from his desk. **"What is our plan of action?"**

Niku stayed leaning over the desk as Guida stepped forward and looked down.

" **One life-form… that's Yamo Niha,"** Guida said, certain with himself. Niku looked up and straightened up.

" **And it's where Talia is about to be,"** Niku informed him, getting his mind back to the primary target. Guida looked at Niku out of the corner of his eye. **"We need to get her back here. We can't leave her."**

" **We won't,"** Guida snapped. There was a temporary, uneasy, silence. Guida cleared his throat. **"We'll help her get away from there, but I'm not missing this chance to take out Niha."**

" **I understand. But Talia is priority,"** Niku stated, not wanting to hear another word. **"Airen, keep us moving forward, we should probably prepare."**

* * *

Shirken and his crew had landed in the hangar and were now taking Talia through the base. She had her hands shackled in front of her and was being dragged along by a chain. The one dragging her was the four-armed Scavenger, Tufa. He also had one-eye and was grey-skinned, with short black hair. Talia struggled a little, but was weakened due to the earlier hits she had taken. The girl definitely didn't want to be brought to Niha. She didn't want to have to see him again.

She continued to walk as she was dragged, but only because she didn't want to be anymore injured that she already was. That wouldn't help if she found an opportunity to break out and escape, once she at least regained some strength, and that pounding headache had gone. She winced as she continued to be dragged along. Her arms were aching and she just wanted to be free. Talia pulled back slightly, but due to being a bit weakened here she was just pulled forward by Tufa. She let out a pained yelp and that earned a chuckle from Tufa.

" **Let me go, you stupid fucks!"** Talia yelled at them as they continued to drag her along. This only made them laugh more, except Shirken. He was serious about getting this done.

" **Niha ordered us to bring you, we'll do that and then you'll be freed,"** Shirken explain.

" **You're morons if you think I'll be free when I'm back with him,"** She tried to desperately get her point across, but they weren't having any of it. They had orders and were following them. Eventually they turned and were reaching the end of the hallway. There was a big door and it slid open as Shirken approached. They stood to the side and motioned for Talia to go in first.

She looked up at them and then towards the door again. She tried to pull back again, but was jolted forward by Tufa and he disconnected the chain and then threw her into the room. She crashed down onto the ground and hit her head again. She let out another pained sound as she hit and felt a warm liquid on her head. She opened one eye, despite the pain and saw some blood drip onto the dirty metallic floor.

" **Fuck…"** She said to herself as she got up onto her knees and looked ahead as the armoured man she had been dreading to see stepped forward. **"Oh… Fuck."**

A slight snigger came from under Niha's helmet, before that metallic voice cut through Talia's mind. She winced at just hearing his voice again.

" **My dear, dear Talia. How I've missed you deeply,"** He said, moving forward and kneeling down to be level with her. She looked to the side, tears slightly in her eyes. She didn't want this interaction to ever happen again and here he was in front of her. Niha grabbed her chin and turned her to face him. **"Hello."**

" **Take your hand off me, you sick man,"** She said, but not in the least bit confidently. Her voice cracked a little when she said that. She didn't realise how genuinely scared of him she had become.

" **That's no way to talk to me, the only parental figure you've ever had,"** He explained, but Talia only gritted her teeth and looked away again. Niha stood up over her again. **"I'm ready to take you back. You can re-join as my ally and apprentice again and we can fulfil my mission."**

" **Never…"** Talia muttered, still looking away.

" **What was that?"** Niha asked, looking down on her. She turned and looked down at the ground, not saying anything. Niha took his sword out and used the tip to lift her head up, slightly cutting into her chin. **"Repeat that."**

" **Fuck you and your mission,"** Talia said, finding some confidence, despite the tears. Niha snapped and backhanded her with his free, right hand. Talia dropped to her left, falling flat on the ground again, the metal from her shackles hitting into her gut and putting some strain on her wrists.

Niha shook his head and then started chuckling to himself.

" **It doesn't matter what you want anyway, you're not leaving here,"** He told her as he turned and walked over to a window. Talia slowly started to move and got back to her knees. She coughed up and some blood came out. She sniffled and a took a breath, looking up at Niha's back.

" **You're weak…"** Talia said, finding her voice again. Niha turned around, not saying anything. **"You have no real power… it's all your machines and technology… it's why you wanted me… you know that I have what it means to be a true Dark Blade… whatever that means to you."**

Niha walked back over to the girl and placed a hand on her head.

" **You're more like me than you know, my dear,"** Niha said, almost in a loving way. **"I cared about you… Talia, you are basically my child. I loved you, but you betrayed me."**

" **I did what I thought was right… what I had to do…"** She explained.

" **Well, you were wrong,"** Niha replied, turning his back on her again. **"We will bring back our Master and resurrect the true Dark Blades. Together."**

* * *

Outside, Airen finally had the base in view and decided to take a safe distance. Somewhere he knew that their radar wouldn't pick them up, at least until they figured out if there even was a radar turned on inside the base. They didn't want to just charge in and attack without planning at least a little bit, it wasn't right and it might put Talia at risk, plus there were some last-minute concerns on Guida's part.

" **We should hold back until something happens,"** Guida recommended.

" **We definitely shouldn't do that,"** Niku responded. Maybe he didn't agree. **"If we wait too long then we leave Talia at too much risk. We can't let anything happen to her."**

" **If this is our only chance to attack Niha then we need to wait for the best chance so we go undetected and can hit them with the element of surprise,"** Guida said, clearly having thought it through on the way here. He really had his heart set on getting to Niha today and that being that. Niku didn't know what to say to him, but he needed to try to talk some sense.

" **We don't know what will happen… this could be really dangerous for her,"** Niku tried to explain, bringing Guida back to the reason they are here. Guida just shook his head. **"We can't just leave her to be hurt… or die."**

" **She won't die,"** Guida replied, hoping that would be enough to settle Niku's concerns. **"I don't think Niha will kill her."**

" **You… don't think?"** Niku scoffed as he turned away and leaned over a computer. He slammed his hand down and turned, walking up to Guida. **"I'm not going to stand by and just leave her there. She may have secrets, but she is still a worthy ally. We're going down there."**

Guida stared back at Niku, not knowing what could possibly be said to deter the former Soldier from his current course of action. There was no choice but to comply, for now. Guida nodded.

" **Fine, but if this comes back to bite us… don't say I didn't warn you,"** Guida said as he turned away and went to get his weapons ready. Niku stood there for another second and watched Guida leave. He sighed and turned to Airen.

" **Take us down to the base. Wait until my signal and then open fire,"** Niku commanded as he rushed off to prepare his own gear. Airen simply saluted and moved the ship closer, slowly. The ship got ever closer, but Niku finally gave his order for Airen to open fire. He and Guida were ready at the exit to jump out as soon as necessary. Their plan wasn't the best, but they had to hope they wouldn't struggle too much. After all, there didn't appear to be many life-forms down on the base.

Airen started to open fire, near the hangar, and then slowly moved to enter the hangar.

Back inside, the base jolted suddenly and Talia fell forward onto her front, while Niha was sent crashing against the glass in front of him. The metal helmet managed to scratch the glass and Niha was taken completely by surprise with that hit. He turned to see the crew steadying themselves and standing around.

" **Well, don't just stand there!"** Niha bellowed at them, **"Go find out what that was!"**

Shirken and his crew rushed off down the halls towards the hangar, while Niha walked over to Talia and lifted her up by her hair. He brought her face level with his. Talia found herself staring into the enigma that was Niha's helmet.

" **You brought allies,"** He stated in an accusing manner. Talia, breathing heavily didn't say anything in response. She wasn't sure what was going on. Was she being rescued or was this something else that Niha was involved in? He grabbed her face with his free hand and started to crack her jaw. **"Tell me!"**

With that, there was another hit and the base started to shake again and the power began to surge. Niha was knocked back and Talia fell flat again. This time, she jumped up, almost instantly and kicked Niha back against the glass again. She then spun around and started to jog down the hallway. She didn't yet have the energy to run, that was until she managed to grasp her energy and break out of the shackles. It was almost as if Talia received her second wind and started to sprint through the halls, trying, desperately to remember the way back.

Some pipes had burst and Niha was managing to get himself to his feet again, but his head was pounding. He shook it and tried to look ahead, but the room was filling with steam and the lights were flashing on and off. He growled, but made no effort to follow after Talia. He was sure the others would deal with it.

In the hangar, Airen had finally brought the ship in and landed it. Niku and Guida jumped out and moved to the first door they could see, passing by Shirken's ship on the way. Before they could even get to the door it lifted open and Shirken and his crew were already waiting for them. They all opened fire upon one another, with Niku and Guida diving behind some cover. They only had some cargo boxes, but it was enough protection for the moment. Guida, rifle in hand, poked his head over the top and started firing in the general direction of the doorway. Niku did the same, but something caught his eye. He turned to his right once back in cover and there it was… Shirken's ship. He noticed it… and he had a plan.

Blaster bolts where flying back and forth between the two sets of fighters, but there was only one person firing from the 'good' side. Guida was having to fire on four different enemies as Niku, still hidden, made his way towards the ship. He reached the back and got to the engine. He took the back end of his rifle and smashed off a bit of a smaller engine. As he did, fuel began to leak out. Niku smirked to himself and rushed back to Guida's side.

" **Care to help?"** Guida asked, clearly not happy about being left alone for that moment. He noticed Niku's smirk. **"What?"**

" **I just managed to drain their ship of fuel. Once we have Talia we can get out of here without the worry of being followed,"** Niku explained, his smirk still there. Both fighters smiled at each other, but a blaster bolt narrowly flying past Niku's head grabbed their attentions once more. They were back to firing on the opponents.

Talia, still rushing through the halls, finally came around a corner and could see flashing lights. There they were. All four of the crew… and in the hangar, Niku and Guida. Talia breathed a sigh of relief and then moved forward, but realised there was no way she would be getting past them without being noticed. She cursed and dropped into some wall space. She had to think of something.

An idea was starting to form. Talia would need to get their attentions so that Guida and Niku would have a chance to approach and take an advantage because that's something they clearly lacked, from her point of view. She took a deep breath and then jumped out from behind her cover and yelled up the hall, while hitting the wall, hoping that would be enough of an attention gripping move.

Only Kuiku turned around, but upon noticing the girl he was clearly surprised.

" **Hey, guys! It's the girl!"** He called out, the other three all turned around at the same time and started firing up the hall. Talia jumped back and took her cover once again. Tufa and Shibo started to move up the hall, towards Talia. Kuiku and Shirken stayed back, but didn't think to turn back to face Guida and Niku. Those two decided that this was their moment to move to the door. They both started to cross the hangar, but didn't fire, not wanting to grab any attention in this perfect moment they had found themselves in.

Before Guida and Niku could get close enough to the door, and before Tufa or Shibo could make it to Talia, the girl leapt out from her cover and powered up her energy, darting right down the hall at an intense speed, completely taking the crew by surprise. She reached the door and stopped herself, quickly turning to the control and smashing it as hard as she could. The panel started to short out and then the door slammed shut and started sparking. Talia breathed another sigh of relief and bent over to regain some strength.

" **Talia, you're ok! We need to get out of here, now!"** Niku said, taking Talia's arm and turning to go back to the ship, but Guida didn't move. He just stood at the door. Both Niku and Talia noticed this and stopped, turning around. **"Come on, Guida."**

" **Niha… we have a chance to get him…"** Guida muttered. He stepped towards the door.

" **Wait,"** Niku said, rushing over to Guida and turning him around. **"Don't think about that now, we need to go."**

" **I want to kill him,"** Guida said. He was so sure of himself. There wasn't an ounce of worry in his voice. He had his heart set on this, but Niku couldn't accept that.

" **You'll get yourself killed if you even try to take them all on,"** Niku said, not holding back. He just told it how it was.

" **I have to try,"** Guida replied. Niku shook his head.

" **Not now. We can't,"** Niku tried to assure Guida that what he was planning to do wasn't right. Talia walked up and grabbed Guida's arm. He looked down on her and she was serious.

" **You can't do it,"** She stated, no hesitation in her voice. **"He is far too powerful for you, you won't stand a chance. He'll kill you without a thought."**

Niku's brow furrowed and he glared down at her.

" **Why are you so sure of yourself?"** Guida asked. Talia opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She closed it and just stared back. Guida's glare was intimidating, but it wasn't enough to get her to confess then and there. She blinked and looked down.

" **There will be time for that on the ship,"** Niku said, interrupting the moment. **"We just need to go, NOW!"**

" **No! I will stay and try!"** Guida exclaimed, turning back to the door. Talia stepped forward again, right up to Guida now.

" **Stop being such a fool!"** She yelled at him. Guida turned and was about to retort, but the door blasted open and Shirken stepped through, holding his rifle. Niku threw a smoke grenade right at the crew and pulled both Guida and Talia away.

" **Get on the ship!"** He yelled to his allies as they all rushed towards it, and up the ramp. They managed to get on and get strapped in quick enough. Airen hit the controls and they were out of that Hangar and already blasting away and picking up speed.

Shirken and his crew rushed onto their ship and tried to fire up the controls, but nothing was happening. Shirken started yelling orders to the others, but the ship wasn't doing anything. Eventually, Shibo piped up and let them all know there was a fuel leak. An extensive one. Shirken growled in annoyance and buried his head in his hands. They all sat in silence for a few moments until Shirken pulled his head up and looked right at Shibo, blankly.

" **Sort it out now,"** He ordered, standing up and walking out of the control room and exiting the ship. He was heading straight towards Niha, but he was terrified. Shirken entered the room with Niha and the mechanically-suited man was staring out of his scratched and cracked window again. Shirken swallowed and took a breath.

" **You're a disgrace,"** Niha said, before Shirken even had a chance. Shirken stepped forward to try and say something, but is interrupted. **"Take your crew and piss off away from my sight, forever."**

Shirken opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself. He looked down to the ground, a blank expression on his face. He took one last glance at the back of Yamo Niha and headed off back towards his ship. Shibo would be busy refuelling and they could leave soon, wherever they would go.

Yamo Niha continued to stare out of the window and now had no one to speak to, but in his head, he could only tell himself one thing. _**"I'll find another way to do it. I'll find another way to help bring the Dark Blades back to their glory. I don't need any of them."**_

Shirken dropped back into his seat and waited for Shibo to return and tell him they could leave. Eventually, that happened and the rest of the crew looked to Shirken for some sort of guidance.

" **I think we should go after them!"** Tufa yelled, wanting to break the awkward silence and have his say. Shirken just looked back at him.

" **I'd say my Brother has had enough misery and we no longer work for Niha. Let's just find some work and do something else with our lives,"** Shirken said. He wasn't even sure if this was an order, but he knew he couldn't be bothered with anyone speaking back to him right now. He looked towards Kuiku as the alien started to get the ship up and running. They left the base and blasted into deep space, to find some sort of purpose.

The base was left floating in the peaceful emptiness of the sector, but after a few minutes one more ship shot away from the station, heading in an opposite direction to the other two ships, but as soon as it was gone parts of the space base started to detonate and crack apart, this only lasted a few minutes before the sector returned to peace.

* * *

 _Well, hope you enjoyed the conclusion to that little two-parter. There are a few more chapters left in this arc to help show how this team came to work together properly and I hope everybody enjoys it._

 _If you have something to say, leave a review, I won't bite._

 _Next Time... A Useful Partnership_


	30. Arc VI: A Useful Partnership

_New chapter. Enjoy!_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 30: A Useful Partnership**_

 _Somewhere in Space_

The atmosphere on-board the ship wasn't pleasant. Talia had shut herself away in her quarters and was recovering from the ordeal in her own way. Niku and Airen were sitting at the front of the ship, on the controls, plotting their course and making sure they were flying safely. Guida was sat in the control room with those two, but he wasn't paying any attention to what they were doing. He was just lamenting his missed opportunity to finally get one-up on Yamo Niha. He still didn't understand why Talia was so sure that he wouldn't have a chance of defeating Niha. It played on his mind for much of this journey and he wanted to hear the truth. Now.

He stands from the seat in the middle of the room and walked towards the exit. Niku turned around in his seat, hearing the movement from Guida and had an idea of where he might be going.

" **Leave her for now, Guida,"** Niku uttered. It wasn't an order or a command. He was speaking as if to a very close friend. Guida stopped and placed a hand against the door-frame. **"She'll speak with us in her own time, we just need to grant her that chance."**

Guida turned to face Niku and didn't say a word as he returned to his seat and slumped down. Niku nodded in thanks and turned back to pay attention to controlling the ship with Airen.

Inside her quarters, Talia was just sitting on the edge of the small bed. She looked across to the wall where her swords were placed. She just stared at them. If she had been a little more careful with their placement she wouldn't need to have this conversation, but if she was going to try and actually be their ally then the truth had to come out. Talia sighed and stood up. It had to be done now. It couldn't be put off any longer.

She entered the control room and walked up to the main desk in the middle. She stood there awkwardly for a second and didn't know what she could say to start this story. Talia felt like all the eyes were on her right now, but that wasn't true because Airen wasn't paying any attention to what was going on. Both Niku and Guida were looking towards Talia, but she was just looking down at the ground. It took the two men a minute to see what Talia was holding in her hands. Niku recognised them, but Guida wasn't familiar.

" **I'm ready to tell you about my past…"** Talia said, keeping her swords clutched close to her body. Guida leaned forwards to check out what she was holding and to him they just looked like swords, nothing more. Niku stood up and walked over to the control table.

" **What are those?"** Guida questioned, looking down at Talia. She shifted uncomfortably and placed them on the table.

" **These are… my swords,"** She replied, quietly and uncomfortably.

" **And why do you have swords?"** Guida asked, not knowing what it could possibly mean. Talia held her hand out to show Guida that he could look at them himself.

" **Just check them out, but be careful not to touch them…"** Talia said, still worried about what might happen. Guida glanced over to Talia as he moved closer to the swords, but stopped upon noticing something on the handle. Something he recognised. An emblem.

" **The Dark Blades?"** Guida said, questioning it in his own head. Wondering what Talia could possibly be doing with those swords. Two of them. Both with that same logo. Could she have stolen them? No, of course not, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to touch them. These blades were part of her. They belonged to her. And she, she belonged to… **"You're one of them."**

Guida looked up at Talia and she could see the rage building inside of him. She took a breath and stepped back.

" **I just need to…"** Talia started to say, but was cut off when Guida moved over to her and grabbed the girl around the throat, holding her up against the wall.

" **You are one of them!"** Guida yelled in her face while choking her. Talia was struggling for air and tried to push Guida off of her, but she couldn't do it with her base strength alone. Guida was seeing red. **"You're the reason my family are dead!"**

Talia's energy started to build up within her as her struggle became tougher. Her eyes narrowed and she became a lot more focussed. She managed to push Guida off of her and then kicked him across the room. He crashed into one of the computers and fell to the ground, but managed to get back up to his feet quickly. Talia leapt forward to the main control table and grabbed both of her swords, unsheathing them and moving into more of a battle pose.

Guida clenched his fists and wanted to fight back, but those blades would make things a bit more challenging. Talia's energy began to radiate from her and it was intimidating for the others, but Guida was enraged. He didn't want to step down, not if this girl had something to do with the death of his family.

Niku finally stepped forward and in-between the two of them.

" **Stop this, let Talia say what she has to… I'm sure there's more to the story,"** Niku explained, glancing over to Guida and then looking back at Talia, signalling her to continue. She took a breath and dropped her swords, managing to calm her energy.

" **I was an orphan. When I was very young Yamo Niha found me, and took me under his wing,"** Talia started, Guida scoffed and turned away, but that didn't stop Talia from telling her story. **"He saved my life and took me to the Dark Blades. They had nothing to do with what Niha did to your family… and… neither did I."**

" **How are we meant to believe you, of course you'd say all of that?!"** Guida said, stepping towards Talia again, but Niku stepped in front of Guida again. **"You're just as responsible as Niha is."**

" **I had nothing to do with what Niha did on that planet… he didn't let me!"** Talia yelled, clarifying her part in the story. **"He never let me kill innocents… he cared about me."**

" **Sounds like he was more than just someone who saved your life?"** Niku questioned.

" **He was,"** Talia said, taking a second to think on it all. Niha had always been more than just her Master. **"He was the closest thing I had to a family… I trusted him. I believed in him."**

" **So, you killed for him?"** Guida questioned, not letting it go. **"Sounds like a great man."**

" **I used to believe in him, but he changed. He had different aims and I couldn't stand by his side anymore. That's why I was in the Dark Blade prison,"** Talia continued to tell her story. **"They want him too. He betrayed what it means to be Dark Blade and… I guess… his teachings were wrong. I never wanted to be what he made me, but I can't ever forget that he's the reason I'm even alive today."**

Guida turned away again and didn't know what to make of everything Talia was saying. How could he trust her if she kept this from him? What was she going to do to them? Could she even be trusted anymore?

" **I'm truly sorry about what happened to your family, Guida,"** Talia muttered, sombrely. She stepped away for a second, composing herself. **"There's nothing I could ever do to take back what happened… to take back the part I played, no matter how minor. I never had a family, so I can't imagine what it's like to lose them."**

Guida couldn't face the rest of them now. He was getting too upset thinking about the death of his family. He just continued to stare at the wall. Niku stood there quietly and Talia still had more to say.

" **I want to help you stop Niha. Defeat him. I'll do everything I can, but I really think we need to be patient about it,"** She started to explain. **"We need a strategy and we need to ensure that, whatever we do, it's successful and we take him down."**

There was an uneasy silence in the room for a few moments before Guida finally turned around and faced them.

" **I can't trust you…"** Guida uttered. He wasn't angry anymore, he wasn't sad… he wasn't feeling anything in this moment. He just looked forward with a blank expression. Talia sighed and looked down again. **"We will beat him, but I will not work with you."**

Talia looked up, but made no attempt to protest. Guida was right. It would be nigh-on-impossible for him to be able to trust her. But what would this mean for Talia? The girl wanted to ask what would happen to her, but that wasn't needed.

" **We'll drop you at the next stop. I don't care what you do after that,"** Guida said as he walked off out of the control room. Talia remained in the same spot as Niku also turned away from her, but he returned to his seat next to Airen. They set their coordinates for the next scheduled stop. It would be the next resupply and refuel. Talia sheathed her swords and wandered back to her room. Niku glanced over his shoulder, but there was nothing more to be said or done.

* * *

A few days passed them by before a stop was needed, but once that stop came Talia had managed to come to terms with what was going to happen. She would need to head off and find herself a new transport. She needed to get far away. Find somewhere to hide-out. She needed to be away from Niha.

The ship touched down in the docks of Strato City on the Planet Varius. Talia was first off of the ship without saying a word to any of the others, although she did have to pass by them. Niku watched as she walked on, but Guida kept moving the empty boxes around. Niku returned to helping very soon, but he couldn't help but feel like they were a little unfair towards Talia, but she didn't protest it. She accepted her fate. They all had to move on.

Talia didn't stop walking until she knew the ship would be completely out of sight and then she slumped back against a wall, down a dark alley. She stared down at her feet and was alone with only her thoughts. Where next? That's all she could think. She looked up and down the alley and finally decided to continue towards the other side of the Docks. Maybe she'll find a ship to board and get away from this place. All she could do was hope to hitch a ride away. This wasn't exactly a good place for her to stay.

When she finally came to a grouping of ships she made sure to scout out the possible pilots she could befriend, or steal from. Yes. She did consider just stealing a ship, but that was only really a last resort. Well… a second choice. She had no idea what her last resort would be right now. Probably begging to go with Niku and Guida, but that wasn't on the cards.

Talia sat in the shadows and kept her eye on all the people walking around, but soon noticed two aliens that she recognised. It was Tufa and Kuiku. Two members of the crew that had captured her and taken her to Niha. What were they doing here? Talia was going to find out. This could be useful information. She jumped up from her seat, but made sure to keep to the shadows and hidden as best she could. She started to follow them. Eventually they stopped by a railing that looked out into the deserts of this planet. Talia remained back behind a pillar, but was within earshot.

" **Shirken ain't gonna lead us very far,"** Tufa said, sounding pretty annoyed. Kuiku scoffed and patted Tufa on the back.

" **Oh, come on, give him a chance. We don't know how bad things will be,"** Kuiku said with a chuckle, **"At least we don't have to work for that nutcase, Niha."**

Talia struck a little bit of vital info there. They no longer worked for Niha. Interesting.

" **I know, but we haven't got any work… we'll run out of supplies and money,"** Tufa explained, slamming his hand down on the railing. Talia hid behind the pillar completely, only using her ears now. **"We can't survive that way."**

" **Well, maybe the map he gave us will earn some credits?"** Kuiku suggested. Talia's ears perked up at this and she was back to poking her head around the pillar, if only a little bit.

" **What, a little holographic map? We don't even know where it goes,"** Tufa said, still sounding pretty annoyed. None of this was making him feel any more at ease. That's when a small alien, hidden in a cloak, seemed to approach them. _(He resembles a Jawa in Star Wars.)_

" **I heard you're looking for work,"** The creature said, mischievously. Both aliens went on the defensive and stood over this creature.

" **You listenin' in on our conversations?!"** Tufa questioned. The little creature held his hands out and waved them defensively.

" **Please, just a humble Strato-Variun that wants to help,"** He was pleading with them. They looked to each other and nodded, showing they were willing to at least hear him out. **"I'll tell you more, but… you have to take me with you."**

Both Kuiku and Tufa looked to each other and nodded before handing the little creature something.

" **Come to docking bay E-02 later on and we'll help you out,"** Kuiku said. The little creature seemed to do a little bow and rushed off away. Kuiku and Tufa walked off soon after. Talia remained in her spot for a second and soon started to think on something. She couldn't keep this information to herself. This would help Guida and Niku on their quest to find Niha again and finally bring him down. She had to tell them. So that's where she headed off for.

Talia found herself rushing back to the ship to see if Guida and Niku were still there. She needed to give them this new knowledge. She rounded the corner and saw the ship still there with the ramp down. She breathed a sigh of relief before rushing on-board.

Niku and Guida were standing in the cargo bay just discussing things when a heavily-breathing Talia stopped behind them. She put her hands on her knees and looked up to them, a smirk on her face. Guida glared right at her.

" **Why are you back here?"** He asked. Niku looked to Guida and then down to Talia. The girl didn't say anything right away and instantly felt like she had done the wrong thing in coming back, but this was going to help them. Surely, they would see that… right?

" **I know how you can find Niha,"** She finally said, but then realised she wasn't actually sure of that yet. **"I think."**

" **What do you mean?"** Niku asked. Talia was about to answer, but Guida stepped forward.

" **What makes you think we need your help? I told you to leave,"** Guida said, aggressively. Talia stepped back and closed her mouth. She was definitely regretting coming back now, but as Guida turned to walk away from her Talia found her courage.

" **I don't care if you don't want me here, I just have a little bit of knowledge that could really help you,"** Talia explained, looking down at the ground. **"Shirken is here… they don't work for Niha anymore and are just looking for work, but they have a map. It may help you find Niha."**

Niku turned to look back at Guida as he stopped walking away. Guida's fist slowly clenched and he turned around.

" **They're here? Where?"** Guida questioned, walking up to Talia.

" **Docking Bay E-02. They won't have left just yet, but we can track them…"** Talia was about to suggest a new plan, but Guida grabbed his rifle and barged past the girl. **"Where are you going?"**

" **My Brother betrayed me, I'm going to kill him and his allies and take that map for myself,"** Guida was so sure of himself and, once again, was acting reckless for his own gain.

" **It's too dangerous to go alone,"** Talia tried to talk some sense into the stubborn former Patrolman. He didn't listen to Talia and even Niku didn't try to talk some sense into him. Guida was gone. Niku looked to Talia as she looked back at him. He just shook his head and Talia knew it was best to leave the situation where it was. Guida was on his own for now. Niku just continued to load the ship. Talia stood there aimlessly for a moment, but knew she couldn't just hang around. She decided that it really was best if she just went to find her own path.

She left the ship again.

* * *

About an hour or so passed by and the little creature finally arrived at Docking Bay E-02 to meet with Shirken and his crew. He boarded the ship with Kuiku, unknown to the fact that they were being watched. Guida sat in the shadows looking over the ship, waiting for any sign of them being ready to leave. He wanted to get them right when they thought they were in the clear.

Just as Shibo walked out of the ship to grab the last of their supplies Guida leapt out of cover and sprinted towards the ship. He was going to take them down one-by-one. Shibo heard something approaching and turned around with a large box in his arms, but was completely taken by surprise when Guida landed a kick to his face and ran off into the ship. Shibo landed with a thud, as did the crate.

It made enough noise to alert the people on-board the ship and soon Kuiku and Tufa were rushing to see what the commotion was. They came face-to-face with Guida and the former Patrolman was ready to fight. He charged Tufa and kicked him in the chest and jumped towards Kuiku, hoping to get him easily. Unfortunately, he underestimated Kuiku's speed and found himself being knocked back into the wall. He managed to roll out of the way of Kuiku's next attack and kicked the Snake-like alien in the side before swinging around and firing his rifle towards Tufa.

The four-armed alien held up two of his arms in defence and the other two served as a battering ram as he connected with Guida, knocking him back. Guida struck the wall again and dropped his rifle. It was kicked away by Kuiku and the two stood over Guida as he rubbed the back of his head. He had really not thought this through. He needed to learn how to control energy more. He was still learning.

Kuiku and Tufa stepped away from Guida as Shirken came forward. He didn't look angry at Guida, or even happy to have a chance to hurt him or anything. He just seemed saddened slightly.

" **Guida, just leave us. Get on with your life,"** Shirken tried suggesting. Guida chuckled as he slowly stood up.

" **How do you expect me to do that? My family are dead."**

Shirken was silent and turned his back on Guida. He went to walk away, but Guida stopped him. He turned his brother around and punched him in the jaw with a lot of force. Shirken fell back and stumbled to the ground. Guida took out his stun pistols and shot both Kuiku and Tufa. He then dropped on top of Shirken, with his hands firmly around his throat.

" **I'm going to make you suffer. I will have my revenge on all those responsible for the murder of my family,"** Guida said, menacingly. Shirken started to chuckle a little, almost sadistically.

" **You better kill that girl you're working with then,"** Shirken suggested, but Guida's grip got tighter.

" **She had nothing to do with it!"** Guida replied, not even realising what he said. Shirken's brow furrowed as he began to lose breath.

" **How can you trust a former Dark Blade?"** Shirken asked.

" **I don't know. How could I even trust my brother?"**

There was an uneasy silence between the two, aside from the gurgles coming from Shirken as he attempted to grasp at air. Guida didn't know if he was really going to kill his Brother here. It certainly felt like the right thing to do. The slight smirk on Shirken's face showed Guida that his Brother was no longer in there. Niha had changed him… or had he always been this way?

Guida's grip started to loosen, but his decision was soon made for him once he was whacked around the head by something big. Guida fell on his back and saw Shibo standing there with a large stick.

" **Bastard…"** The large, pink alien said through grit teeth. Shirken started coughing and slowly stood up. He stumbled on the spot a little and pointed down at his Brother.

" **Put him in a cell, kill him, I don't care anymore,"** Shirken said as he started to walk away. Kuiku and Tufa were finally back on their feet and were prepared to help Shibo. They were looking forward to this. As they went to lift Guida up a sword dropped down right next to them. Shibo started laughing and grabbed it by the handle, but instantly felt his hands start burning. Once Shibo let go the sword pulled out of the ground and flew past the three aliens. They followed it and watched it land in Talia's hand. She had both swords drawn and a smirk on her face.

" **Leave him alone, unless you want to die,"** Talia said, the smirk fading and being replaced by a focussed and threatening look. The three of them stepped away from Guida and walked towards Talia. She moved into a new stance and kept her swords ready.

" **Why don't you fight without your swords, little girl?"** Tufa suggested. Talia didn't move. They stepped forward. Talia finally moved. She performed a twist and slashed her swords through the air towards the enemies, without coming in connecting distance, but they felt the full force of the energy as it ripped through the air and knocked all three of them off of their feet.

Talia pounced forward and managed to get to Guida. She dragged him off of the ship and as the trio were about to leave it and follow she turned around, sheathed both her swords and shot a ball of energy towards them. All three of them jumped out of the way and the energy connected with the ship, managing to short out the control. This gave Talia and Guida their only chance to escape and get to their own ship.

Talia managed to get him back to the ship and she was immediately greeted by Niku, whom hadn't been expecting Talia to return any time soon, especially with Guida.

" **Are you both ok?"** Niku asked as they set Guida down in a seat. Talia nodded and stepped back, Guida responded, assuring them he was ok, but Niku still got Airen to check him out. Talia stayed there watching as Airen checked over, but Guida didn't take his eyes off her. She shifted uncomfortably and started to move towards the exit.

" **Why did you come for me?"** Guida asked. **"Did you think it would make me forgive you?"**

" **No,"** Talia responded, not turning around to face them. **"I just believe you can actually bring down Niha if you do it right."**

" **And you want to help?"** Guida questioned further. Talia just nodded. **"We can't automatically trust you."**

" **I know, but I think I have an idea what the map is. I don't want to say unless I can be sure, but it may be able to help us find Niha and even if it doesn't, if we can find a way to get one-up on Shirken we can ask them about it."** Talia turned around and walked up to Guida. **"If we work together we really can bring Niha down. We can end whatever he has planned and restore some peace around here."**

Talia stared at Guida with a pleading look, but not to be accepted, but for him to accept that she knows what she's talking about. Guida looked to Niku for some guidance and the former soldier just smirked. Guida looked back to Talia and nodded.

" **Fine. We'll work together. Get some rest though,"** Guida started to get up and was going to his quarters, but Talia had one last thing to say.

" **Before I rescued you I put a tracker on Shirken's ship. They've already managed to get off planet, but we can follow them wherever they go now,"** Talia informed them all. Guida looked back and glanced over to Niku. The former solider just raised his eyebrows in a satisfied manner.

" **Give the connection to Airen and we can follow them right away, but I do need a bit of rest,"** Guida left the room and Talia went to give the little device to Airen. The robot put the details in and they were ready to leave. Niku walked over and put a hand on Talia's shoulder before taking his seat next to Airen.

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Felt it was necessary to address the connection between Talia and Guida here and also clear the air a little bit. There's a bit of development in all these chapters. The next chapter will be the start of a three-parter. They kind of serve as Talia-centric chapters, but she is my favourite character of this trio._

 _Either way, hope you liked what you read today. Leave a review if you feel like it, or just PM me to chat, I always like that._

 _Next Time... Chapter 31: The Empire's Rule_


	31. Arc VI: The Empire's Rule

_**Chapter 31: The Empire's Rule**_

Unsure on how many days, or perhaps weeks, had passed them by, Guida and crew continued to track Shirken and his team wherever they went. Our heroes knew they had enough supplies to last them for at least a couple of months, so there were no problems in how long it was taking to actually come anywhere close to their enemies. They would stop soon though. They just had to.

And just like that, Airen could see a planet coming up on the map, and it even seemed like the others were deciding to stop there. Their tracking signal was coming from around the same vicinity of the planet and it was having a hard time of actually pinpointing the position. They must be down on the Planet's surface.

" **What shall we do, sir?"** Airen asked, turning around in his chair to face Guida. The crew's supposed leader stood up and looked at the map.

" **This doesn't seem to be a planet that's watched by the Patrol,"** Guida pointed out. He seemed to be a little annoyed by that, but it seemed that they were too far out of Patrol jurisdiction. **"Take the ship down, maybe we'll have a chance this time."**

With that Airen saluted, turned around in his chair again, and the ship began its descent down onto the, as of this moment, unknown planet. The cities appeared to be pretty large, but there were quite a lot of similar looking ships floating in the sky over the city that they were headed towards. Niku stood up in his seat and appeared to be a little uncomfortable with what he was seeing. Guida walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

" **What is it?"** Guida asked. Niku didn't look away from the window and sighed. The ship continued over parts of the city and they began to notice some labour camps that appeared to be run by soldiers. Talia appeared to react to this as well and stood up at the window looking down. Niku turned away, fists clenched.

" **The planet is under Cold Empire rule,"** Niku informed them. He took a breath and composed himself, his anger appearing to disappear. **"I didn't think I'd run into them again, but there must still have been a whole operation out here that I didn't even know of."**

Guida sat down in the unoccupied seat next to Airen and began to help co-piloting.

" **We'll set the ship down somewhere on the opposite side of the city and we'll look for Shirken and the others on foot,"** Guida explained, as Niku walked out of the room without saying anything. Guida looked over his shoulder to the door and then to Talia. She shrugged her shoulders and walked off too. Guida returned to looking forward and appeared to ponder something, but there wasn't too much time for that.

The ship touched down in an empty part of what looked like a Scavengers bay. This meant they would have to be wary of leaving the ship alone. Guida offered to stay behind with Airen and the ship while Niku and Talia grabbed a few supplied and began trying to narrow down where Shirken and his crew might be. It was odd that he wasn't going himself, but he seemed to think this was best for the moment. Talia and Niku didn't argue.

While the duo was out doing their business and looking around, Talia was making sure to keep an eye on Niku. She was expecting him to be acting strangely, but he was strangely calm. She didn't know how to deal with it, until Niku made note of it.

" **You don't have to feel awkward around me. The Cold Empire is a part of my life I had moved on from, but I'm not scared about having to confront them again,"** Niku explained, **"There were both good and bad things to come of my time with the Empire."**

Talia felt that Niku had helped to put her at ease a little there. She seemed to be relieved.

" **I was expecting you to want vengeance or something,"** Talia said, a half smirk on her face. Niku chuckled and shook his head.

" **There's no point. What's done is done. I just want to get on with my life now,"** Niku replied, smiling back at Talia and walking on, continuing to look around. Talia stopped for a second and watched as the former soldier walked on, almost without a care in the World. This didn't completely put her mind in ease.

" **So, what happened with you back then?"** She asked, rushing to catch up with him. Niku looked down to her and cleared his throat.

" **Nothing too interesting. Just my team-mates and I performed an act of treason and stole from the Empire,"** Niku explained, briefly and quickly. **"Nothing big."**

Talia didn't really have anything else to add, or have any questions prepared. It seemed like Niku was rather eager to drop the subject for now, so Talia wasn't about to press further.

" **My team were all killed by Yamo Niha,"** Niku said, without warning. Talia stalled and looked up at him, but he didn't look at her. **"I was meant to die too, but luckily I survived and that's when I was taken as a prisoner."**

Niku turned back to face Talia with a look as if to say, 'Are you satisfied with that information?' but he still didn't appear to be angry or annoyed with her. Talia didn't expect to get almost the full story, but there it was. She cleared her throat and walked up next to Niku.

" **I'm… sorry about that…"** She muttered, nervously. Niku scoffed.

" **Why are you sorry? Were you there?"** He asked her, she looked up and shook her head immediately.

" **No. Niha never…"** Talia trailed off as she realised something. Niku raised an eyebrow and looked at her. She looked back at him. **"He never let me have any involvement with the Cold Empire. Said it wouldn't benefit me in the long run."**

Niku continued to look at Talia as she looked down again.

" **He must have cared about you once,"** Niku stated. He placed a caring hand on her shoulder. She looked up and smiled awkwardly as they continued on together.

While Niku and Talia were off in the city of this unfamiliar planet, back on the ship Guida was pacing around the room, awkwardly. He didn't know what to do with himself. He said he would stay back at the ship to keep an eye on things with Airen, but something was on his mind. Shirken was out there. Guida couldn't just stand around and wait for Niku and Talia to come back with some information, whether reliable or not. He had to take action.

The former Patrolman went straight for the exit, without telling Airen, and left the ship. He would find them quickly and do what he could to either stop them or find out some good information. He knew there was no sense in hanging around by these docks, but if he headed to find the other nearby ports he may actually find their ship and some of the crew. Guida went off, making sure to keep his head down and not cause a scene so to draw any unwanted attention. That wouldn't be good.

It didn't take him long to get to the other port, but now it was a matter of doing some investigation and perhaps staying low and hidden. He really didn't want one of Shirken or his crew to spot him first, otherwise they would get scared and probably run away. No, he needed to remain hidden until he could find them. It didn't take too long for Guida to spot one of the crew. It happened to be Shibo, the most noticeable of the crew. He appeared to be walking around with a small cloaked creature that Guida wasn't familiar with.

He did his best to get close to Shibo, but stay in cover and that was a little difficult to do while also not drawing attention to himself. He tried to stay in shadows and behind pillars, but Shibo was a little too far out in the open. Guida had to do his best, and that's when he passed by a stall that had a lot of old battle helmets and other head-gear worn by the Cold Empire. They were either battle damaged or old, but they would serve their purpose of hiding Guida's face. That was really convenient for Guida. Almost a little too convenient, but who was he to question it?

He just grabbed one of the helmets while the shop's clerk wasn't looking and threw it on. He now had a way to get close to Shibo without drawing any attention to himself. This was it, he could finally either follow him back to his ship, or get whatever information he needed from the fat alien. He started to listen in on Shibo's conversation with the small creature.

" **Trust me, I know what I'm talking about when it comes to getting scavenger work,"** The small alien said, with a strange, raspy, high-pitched voice. **"And it will pay well."**

" **I don't know, I really don't trust you,"** Shibo said, confident in his own thoughts. **"Nobody on this planet is going to give us enough credits, especially when it's a planet run by the Empire."**

" **It's your loss, but the rest of your team seems to trust my judgement,"** The alien continued, **"And I didn't mean here anyway, I was talking about a different planet."**

" **A different… planet?"** Shibo questioned. Guida was listening intently, while walking around in a nonchalant manner.

" **Yeah. Eoz. It's a great planet for Scavengers,"** The alien replied, sounding very enthusiastic. **"We go there, we find the best work, we'll make a lot of money."**

Shibo started chuckling and placed a large hand on the alien's head.

" **We?"** He said, menacingly. He lifted up the little alien and looked him square in his hooded face. **"What makes you think you're in on this?"**

" **Well… Shirken… he… promised,"** The alien said, struggling with the hand, tight around his head. Shibo chuckled again, a little louder.

" **Promised? Don't make me laugh. Shirken isn't one to trust,"** Shibo told him. Guida rolled his eyes under his helmet.

" **You can say that again…"** The former Patrolman said to himself.

The little alien continued to complain and wriggle in Shibo's grip and a few of the aliens nearby were starting to take a little notice and soon after, Shibo was aware of this. He set the alien down lightly and leaned in close.

" **We'll see what Shirken has to say later on, but you've already given me the location, so it's not looking good for you,"** Shibo said as he patted the alien once more and continued walking on. Guida watched as the duo continued on again. He looked around and followed them some more. He wasn't done just yet.

It was only as he started walking off that he started to think more about what he would actually be able to do alone. Maybe he should just scout for information now and worry about fighting them when he had the help of the rest of crew.

A little time passed by and Talia and Niku had finally collected a few extra supplies, but weren't having too much luck on finding just where Shirken and his crew could be located. Their tracker was having some severe difficulty in narrowing down a search radius. It was frustrating them, but it wasn't as if this was the only opportunity to try and find Shirken and crew. They had time and it would probably benefit them if it took longer to find Shirken. It meant they would have a lot more of a chance to prepare for the bigger fight to come. The one with Niha.

Niku and Talia were walking through a small market district when some commotion caught their attention and their focus on the tracker was shifted. This wasn't something either of them were anticipating and when they spotted a group of Cold Empire soldiers they started to feel just a little nervous. These soldiers didn't look very nice. Two of them were carrying energy rifles, while one, at the front of the group, was wearing a wrist weapon. He seemed to be the leader of the group, and the one drawing the most attention. He was firing his weapon at walls and at the ground to threaten all the people.

Shop or stall owners were hiding behind counters while parents were rushing to their children, and the rest were all panicking and either running away or hiding anywhere they could. Apparently, this seemed to amuse the soldiers as they continued on through the district. Niku and Talia stayed away from the soldiers and kept to any of the crowds or darker, unseen spaces. Talia noticed a frail looking child try to rush away from the Soldiers and she stepped out of hiding to help them out.

Talia helped them get away from the main walkway and tried to comfort them.

" **It's ok, here,"** Talia went into her pack and pulled out a little bit of food for the little child. **"Here, have some of this."**

The child graciously took the small piece of food and went to rush away, but ran straight into the legs of one of the soldiers. The kid bounced back and crashed into the ground, dropping the piece of food. It looked up at the soldier with teary eyes.

" **Aw, did you drop your food? That's a shame,"** The soldier said mockingly as he walked over to the food and stamped it into the dirt. **"Eat it now."**

The soldier walked off chuckling quite loudly and Talia was ready to go up to that soldier and give him her opinion the matter, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Talia turned around and saw Niku standing there, shaking his head. Talia wanted to protest it, but the look on Niku's face was really serious. Talia sighed and nodded, stepping back as the Soldiers continued on.

The soldier walked on and as he did, he smacked a nearby civilian over the head, knocking him to the ground and continued laughing. Talia didn't want to stand for this and rushed out to help the guy up off of the ground.

" **Are you ok, sir?"** She asked as she helped him up, but that's when the soldier turned around and decided to intervene again. He knocked the guy back down and stood up to Talia, looking down at her.

" **Do you mind? You're ruining the fun,"** The soldier said, but Talia didn't back down. She wasn't one to back down from any fight, ordinarily. Niku stepped forward, not wanting too much attention on them, but just that action got the eyes on him. He stopped for a second and gingerly made his way towards Talia. He placed a hand on her shoulder and tried to pull her back, but she stood strong.

The other Soldiers decided to come and see what was happening and Niku started to curse under his breath.

" **What's going on here?"** The leader asked, sizing up the two strangers. Talia glared at the soldiers, clenching her fists. Niku continued to stand back with his hand still on Talia's shoulder. The leader scoffed and turned to his allies. **"Forget about this trash, let's go."**

The group of soldiers finally walked off, leaving Talia, Niku and the rest of the civilians alone, for now.

" **Ok, can we get back to the ship? It's a little dangerous out here now,"** Niku suggested, definitely very worried of what could happen by now. Talia watched after the soldiers and then turned to Niku. She nodded and followed on with him.

" **I don't like how they were being treated,"** Talia stated.

" **You think I do? I hate it too, but that used to be me and I know it's their job to keep order,"** Niku said, trying to help alleviate some of the hatred Talia seemed to have towards those soldiers. **"Maybe some are worse than others, but that's just the way they are."**

" **I know… that child reminded me of… well, me,"** Talia explained. Niku glanced down at her as they walked along back towards the ship and he was starting to understand her a little more.

The two of them were silent for the rest of their journey back to the ship and made sure not to draw any attention, especially after everything that had happened. Niku was right, they couldn't stay out and about now. It was far too dangerous.

They made it back to the ship without any disturbances and upon arrival they were greeted by Guida, who appeared to have made it back, safe and sound. He had decided against going after Shirken and his crew alone as it would end up being too hard for him to handle.

" **How'd the search go?"** Guida asked, as soon as they stepped on-board.

" **The tracker wasn't having a good time, but they're definitely here at the moment. The signal hasn't changed,"** Talia informed him, she glanced over to Niku afterwards.

" **The Empire does have a really big presence here though, we can't be out there too long,"** Niku said, hoping that Guida would be understanding, despite how desperate he was to get this done. Surprisingly, Guida agreed.

" **It'll be better if we rest up tonight and go and check things out tomorrow,"** Guida told them. Niku and Talia glanced to each other and nodded, heading off to their quarters to do as Guida said, and get some rest.

Once in her room, Talia had some thoughts going through her head. She remembered seeing what was going on in the streets, how those soldiers were treating the people, and that made her wonder what was happening while they weren't around. There must be so many bad things happening around here, and not even here, but on all the other Planets that the Empire still had control over. What was happening inside those camps?

Talia couldn't help but dwell on these thoughts as she lay awake in her room.

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed that chapter, and if you haven't done so already, maybe drop me a follow and keep up to date with all my uploads! And if you want to say something about this story, whether good or helpful, please, leave a review!_

 _Thanks for reading._

 _Next Time... Chapter 32: Talia's Contempt_


	32. Arc VI: Talia's Contempt

_**Chapter 32: Talia's Contempt**_

A few hours passed and it was finally dark outside. Niku was performing a few routine checks on the ship's interior and the electronics and stuff like that. All the mechanic stuff, another job he had handled in his time with the Cold Empire. Guida was in the control room, mapping out some possible locations for work and a way to keep away from any enemies. Airen seemed to have powered down for a short period of time, that made sense.

Niku continued on his rounds and made it to Talia's quarters. He was just going to pass it by and let the girl rest, but noticed that her door wasn't actually closed. Niku stopped and turned to look in the room. He didn't want to intrude on Talia's space, again, but he had to check. He walked in, nervously and slowly, only to see that the room was completely empty. He immediately rushed back to the control room and tried to bring Talia's signal up on the tracker. Guida didn't know what was going on, but Niku certainly seemed concerned about something.

According to the tracker, Talia's communicator was in the same room. He looked over to the seat that she normal occupied and saw the communicator sitting by the computer. Niku whacked his hand on the tracking system and turned around. Guida finally came to attention and walked over to Niku.

" **What is it?"** Guida asked.

" **Talia's not here,"** Niku informed him, **"Her room is empty and she left the communicator here."**

" **Right?"** Guida questioned, not sounding concerned about it at all. Niku glared at him.

" **Considering she's helping us I would have hoped you'd care a little more,"** Niku said in a very commanding tone, **"It's far too dangerous out there for her."**

Guida shifted uncomfortably and walked over to the tracking system, even though Niku had already just told him about her not taking the communicator with her. Guida seemed to check something on the system and then turned to face Niku.

" **We don't need to worry about her, I'm sure she knows what she's doing and will return later,"** Guida explained, **"And if she doesn't then it's her own fault, right?"**

Niku breathed a heavy sigh and walked away from Guida. He didn't know if he should just listen to Guida or go out and look for Niku himself. It was complicated, but he knew Talia could fend for herself.

" **I hope she'll be ok,"** Niku stated, with one last look back to Guida. The former Patrolman nodded back at Niku, somewhat in agreement. They would have to wait and see. It would be a bad idea to go out and attempt to look for her in this moment.

* * *

Out in the city, on the completely opposite side of the port where they had landed, Talia was diving for cover down an alleyway as a group of Cold Empire soldiers walked by on patrol. She backed right up against the wall to avoid being seen and made sure to keep her face hidden, just in case. She was wearing a big black cloak to cover her body and weapons.

As soon as the patrol passed by Talia jumped out of the alley and continued heading towards the outer sections of this city. She saw them as they passed overhead and now she wanted to check them out for herself. The camps. Whatever kind of camps they were, Talia was going to get inside and put a stop to them. She started running, fast and stealthily. All those years of training with Niha made her very light on her feet and hard to catch with a glance. She spotted another group of soldiers nearby some sort of checkpoint and she had to drop and roll into some cover.

If she could get through the checkpoint without being caught then she would basically be in the camp. She didn't know what she would find, but seeing how badly some of the people in this city were being treated just made her so angry and she had to stop it somehow. The group of soldiers were standing around talking, they probably wouldn't notice her if she tried to get around the outside of the checkpoint and even if they did see her, she could deal with them.

There were some spotlights that were being used to check out and around the checkpoint and Talia had to basically time it with the light. They seemed to move in a systematic way, almost in the shape of an eight. If she kept behind the light and moved with it then she would manage to avoid being seen and maybe luck would be on her side. Hopefully none of the soldiers would decide to look her way. She took a breath and found her moment, rushing out of hiding and sticking around the point that the light occupied.

That group of soldiers didn't even move or look over to the light, so Talia was completely in the clear. She rushed around the checkpoint and realised that she basically had a short stretch of a walk before she reached the fence of the camp. She just had to make it over the bridge, but if she walked straight across it then there would be chance that a soldier would see her. The only other option she had would be to climb the side of the bridge, and if she slipped at all then she would fall into the river that run under the bridge and it was running pretty quickly.

Talia could hear voices behind her as she took the time to make her decision. She looked back to see a couple of that same group of soldiers heading her way. She had to make a snap decision. Drawing on her training with Niha once again she rushed to the side of the bridge and jumped over, gripping onto the side and beginning to move across as quickly as she could.

Once she reached the end of the bridge she looked back over her shoulder, while still hanging, and saw there was a door with a large cart waiting outside it. This was some sort of delivery and Talia knew that she could make something of this. It might be her way in. Talia leapt over to the other ledge and headed towards the doorway quickly. She could hear voices as she approached the cart and moved behind it, ducking low to avoid being seen.

She waited until the voices had gone before looking over the cart and trying to spot them. She could only see one person and they didn't appear to be a soldier, more of a caretaker of sorts. They had their back towards the cart and Talia, but they were carrying something heavy and were about to turn around. Talia could either dive through the door first, or stay with the cart and wait for another opportunity to show itself. This was another one of those times to make a quick decision. The guy didn't turn around and instead put the object down and moved to the left to find something else. Talia took this as her chance and rushed into the room and in the opposite direction of the man. She was almost completely inside now.

Talia took this time to start thinking about what she was really hoping to get out of this and where she would go once inside. There wasn't much of a plan. Maybe she just wanted to check out the conditions… or maybe she actually intended to fight them in some way. She just made a snap decision again, exactly like Niha taught her to. Turns out they weren't always great ideas. No sense in stopping to think about it now, she just had to move forward.

Talia rushed through a hallway and came to a big door. To the right of the big door there was a guard sitting at a small control panel. He looked up at Talia and she froze on the spot. She had been seen. The guard then looked back down as if he hadn't seen anything important. Talia didn't move for a second and the guard continued looking at his screen… until… he looked up at Talia again and this time seemed a bit shocked. The guard stood up, but Talia closed the gap between them quickly and jumped, kicking the guard in the throat. He flew back against the wall, hitting his head and falling to the ground.

Talia stood up and took a breath and turned to look at the controls for the door. She opened it up and stepped through, letting the door close behind her and that's when she saw it. A sight she had expected, but not one she liked looking at.

The ground was dirt. There were awful pathways that had clearly been laid out by the occupants. There were some pretty shoddy looking huts that served as the homes for the occupants. It was an open roof so it was really cold and wet from whenever it rained. There were guards perched in towers around the place and the occupants were dressed in rags and appeared to be doing a lot of manual labour. There were men, women, children, families… ordinary people.

Talia could feel tears coming to her eyes as she saw the awful conditions. She continued to walk on through the camp. Some of the prisoners were glancing her way, but didn't dare speak to her. There was the occasional guard that would walk through the camp, but Talia made sure to keep out of their way.

She walked past what looked like a little pen where there were a lot of children pretty much crammed together and looking like they were very deprived of food. They were weak, dirty and unhappy. Talia went closer to them. She started to think back to her time on the streets and she understood how awful these children must feel. She entered the pen and the children all started to stand and walk over to her.

They didn't say or do anything, they just walked around her. Looking her up and down. They didn't know if she was going to hurt them or help them. Some of the children would back away and cower and this hit Talia in her heart.

She slowly walked over to a group of children that were cowering away and she crouched down to be level with them.

" **I won't hurt you. I'm a… friend,"** Talia said to the children, hoping they would feel at ease. The children continued to back up and Talia wasn't sure about what she could do. She looked through the group and spotted someone green-skinned with white hair. She stood up and walked closer. The children dispersed and ran to the sides to avoid Talia. There was a small green-skinned girl with white hair and the two were both staring at one another. Talia crouched down and looked at the girl.

The little girl held her hand out and gently touched Talia's face, but as soon as the finger connected she backed up again. Talia didn't know what it was, but this girl had to be the same species as her. Sure, she had never seen another of her race, but this girl looked almost identical to what Talia did when she was a child.

" **Hi, I'm Talia. I think we're the same race. Where are your family?"** Talia was starting to speak quite quickly and it seemed to be scaring the girl a little bit. The girl stepped back, but ended up touching the wooden fence of the pen. She had nowhere else to back up. **"Please… help me out."**

The little girl said nothing and only stared right at Talia. The girl didn't seem like she would speak. Talia stood up and looked down at the girl one last time. She turned around and started to look around the camp, hoping to spot some more people from her race. This little girl must have a family, Talia was thinking.

As Talia walked on, leaving the pen, the little girl decided to follow. Talia didn't notice this, but the girl was sticking very close to the strange new arrival. The other children just watched. As Talia walked on through the camp she started to notice more new things about it. Like how the guards seemed to hang around near all the young women and got a little too… touchy. This made Talia's skin crawl and it really angered her. She couldn't attract any attention though. She still didn't know why she was here.

Finally, Talia stumbled upon two people that looked like they could be that child's parents. The little girl behind Talia noticed her parents and ran past her. This shocked her as Talia had been completely unaware of the child's presence. The parents looked up and seemed very happy to see their child, especially seeing that she was unharmed. Talia didn't know how long it had been for the trio.

They seemed to be talking to one another, but Talia couldn't hear anything. That's when the little girl pointed in her direction and Talia froze. The parents looked up and stood straight. They were just staring across at each other and Talia had no idea what to do. They started to slowly approach her and Talia just remained in position. She was feeling really anxious about this.

When the parents were finally close enough they started to speak and that's when Talia realised something. She had forgotten her in-ear translator and couldn't understand a word these two were saying. She inwardly cursed and just shrugged her shoulders and made a face as if to say she didn't know what they were saying. The parents looked at each other and started saying things and Talia tried to make sense of it, but nothing. She felt something tug on her cloak and looked down to see the little girl. Talia smirked lightly and looked back at the parents.

" **I can't stay here, but I'm going to help you,"** Talia started saying. They didn't react and Talia sighed. **"You don't understand me. Damn."**

The mother came closer to Talia and pulled her into an embrace, whispering in her ear.

" **Midor."**

She let go of the embrace and backed up. Talia didn't know what to make of that and just said the word back to herself. She was about to try and say something else, but something caught their attention.

" **Hey, you there! Get back to work,"** A commanding voice said. Talia recognised that kinda of voice, and she actually understood them. The parents returned to work and pulled on Talia's cloak as if to tell her to go along with it. She did so and the guard eventually walked away again. Talia stopped and prepared to walk away to find something else to do, somewhere to go. She needed to figure out more about this camp.

As she walked on Talia heard some commotion happening nearby and she rushed to see what it was, but kept herself hidden. That's when she noticed a group of soldiers tormenting some of the prisoners. Talia wanted to fight back, but knew she couldn't. At least, not yet. A couple of the soldiers seemed to be hanging around some of the young women. They must only be teenagers, perhaps even younger than her. Talia's anger was getting the best of her and her energy was boiling up within her. Talia sees another of the soldiers pushing around… the young girl from before. She must have wandered away from her parents. Talia had to do something now, she told herself.

She slowly drew one of her swords and began to walk out. One of the other soldiers then walked through and Talia stopped. He seemed to be in charge of this crew.

" **Grab the ones you like and let's go,"** The soldier said as he took a hold of the wrist of one of the teen girls and walked off with her. She was hardly putting up a fight. Actually, none of the girls were. Talia didn't like this. The soldier that was tormenting the girl of her species was about to walk off, leaving the girl alone. Talia felt some relief, but then the little girl ran up and kicked the soldier. It didn't do anything to him, but he did turn around and glare down at her.

" **You little bitch,"** The soldier said. He reached down and took a hold of her by the hair and dragged her along, kicking and screaming. Talia had to act, but she wanted to wait until they were somewhere more hidden. She followed on from her cover. They seemed to be heading towards a fancier looking hut than the rest. It was clearly something for the soldiers. They entered with the girls and closed the door behind. Talia was fuming and had to do something now.

Talia reached the building and looked around trying to find either another way to get in, or something to help with a more effective entrance. That's when she saw a little generator attached to the side. This gave her a thought.

Inside the building, the soldiers group the girls up and stood there, proud of themselves. The soldier that had dragged in the little girl sat her down in a chair near the door.

" **Turn around and be quiet, you don't wanna see this. I'll deal with you afterwards,"** The soldier said as he walked away from her. The girl faced the wall. The soldiers were ready to do what they wanted to these young women, but as they started to move in the lights suddenly went off. None of the soldiers could see anything and started to panic a little.

" **Weapons out!"** One of the soldiers said, preparing the men.

As they turned around on the spot in the dark, disoriented, the door opened, revealing a silhouetted figure, but then it closed and it was dark again. In the darkness, nobody could see what happened, but they heard the sound of blades slashing through something and blood falling onto the floor. The soldiers were making pained noises and were unable to fire their weapons due to the speed at which this happened.

The lights came back on. The girls were all huddled together. The child was still at the wall. In the middle of the room, a pile of soldiers' bodies, covered in blood and sliced at. Standing in front of those bodies, Talia. The girls looked at the bodies and then to Talia and they didn't know if they should be happy, or cry, or scream. They just stood there, frozen. Talia nodded to them.

" **You're a little bit safer now, I'm gonna get you out of here,"** Talia assured them, nodding and smiling, weakly. She turned and approached the little girl. She crouched down and looked her all over to check she was ok. The little girl hugged Talia and the teen didn't know how to react. She just stood up and took the girls hand. **"We need to move."**

Talia led the pack and made sure they moved on quick, even though she didn't know where she was actually going. The rounded a corner as a group and there were a group of soldiers standing there, already with their weapons drawn. Talia stood and stumbled slightly, but stood strong. There were a few too many of them for her.

* * *

Back on-board the ship with Guida and Niku (I think I need to give the ship a name at some point?) Airen was sitting at the computer looking over things and suddenly seemed to perk up (if a robot can do that?) He turned to face Guida and Niku, and stood up.

" **I have picked up some radio chatter from a camp in the Northern district. I believe it is something to do with Talia,"** the robot informed them.

" **What kind of camp?"** Guida questioned, not appearing to have any urgency about it. Niku looked over, clearly interested.

" **It appears to be some form of Cold Empire Slave-labour camp,"** Airen replied. Niku rushed over.

" **Pinpoint the exact location,"** Niku requested as Airen sat down and started to work on the computer again. It didn't take him too long to get it. Guida started to approach, wondering why Niku seemed so worried.

" **Here it is,"** Airen said, pointing at a point on the map. Niku memorised it and headed off, grabbing his weapon.

" **What's wrong with you?"** Guida asked.

" **Those camps are very dangerous, we can't let her be alone there,"** Niku started. He continued to ready his weapons, **"There will be too many soldiers there for her to deal with and we need to save her."**

Niku started to walk off and Guida stopped him.

" **I'll come with you."**

Niku nodded to his ally and then informed Airen to have the ship ready. They'll call for him when they're ready. The duo then rushed off, they needed to be quick.

* * *

Talia, standing there with all those Cold Empire soldiers in front of her, had to do something. She drew both of her swords and narrowed her eyes. She charged forward at the soldiers and started slashing at them with all her might and ability as they fired their weapons or tried their best to fight back against her. It wasn't going well for them. The soldiers were cut down too easily and dying quickly, but Talia was also fighting fairly sloppily. She was leaving too many openings and was at risk. That risk became reality when Talia was hit in the side by a laser blast and dropped to her knees. Talia cursed herself as she dropped her swords by her side.

A soldier approached and held a gun to her head, but suddenly a voice called out in a different language and Talia looked up to see two green-skinned people rushing towards them. It was the little girl's parents. Talia was about to tell them to stop, but there was the sound of a blaster firing and the father dropped to the ground, instantly. Talia went wide-eyed in shock.

The mother stopped and turned to her partner and dropped by his side, crying. A soldier rushed over towards them and she stood up, reacting, but was knocked down to the ground right away with a punch to the head. She slammed down to the dirt. The daughter screamed and went to run to her parents, but found herself held back by one of the soldiers. Talia was wide-eyed and angry, but in too much pain to move right away. Her energy was swelling deep within though.

* * *

Outside the camp, Guida and Niku were finally getting close. They reached the bridge with the checkpoint and didn't know how to get past that part. It seemed like defences and security had been recently upped as well. There were a lot of soldiers hanging around. Niku and Guida looked around for something to help them out.

" **Once inside I'll know the layout, they're always the same,"** Niku explained to his ally. Guida started to think of an idea and began looking around for something to help him execute his plan.

" **We need to find a soldier and steal his suit. You can disguise yourself as one of them and get us in there,"** Guida finally revealed his plan, even though it was pretty obvious, Niku could pull it off.

" **It's worth trying,"** Niku said as they went off to find what they could.

* * *

Talia is hoisted up by a couple of soldiers and her arms bound. This was becoming far too much of a regular occurrence for her. One of the soldiers stepped forward and looked her in the eye.

" **You've ripped through quite a few of our soldiers now. You're going to be taken before the Commander of this base, he can deal with you."**

Talia glared at the soldier, but didn't say anything. She was still fuming with sheer rage though. The soldier stood up straight and turned to the soldier nearest to him.

" **Grab the little girl,"** He ordered his soldier. The mother started crying out for her daughter. The lead soldier nodded his head towards the mother as a soldier walked over to her. Without any hesitation, the solider shot her in the head. The little girl started screaming again and Talia's eyes widened, again. She didn't know what to do anymore. She just let them drag her and the little girl away.

* * *

 _So, there's part 2. I really like the stuff I put into this part, in regards to Talia's species because, in reality, I haven't touched upon what kind of race she belongs to or where her planet is, but I do know that I'd like to address that at some point in the future, if there's a place for it in this story. If not, I may do a one-shot spin-off or something like that. Who knows?_

 _Either way, thanks for ready. Hope you are enjoying this arc, even though it hasn't features any of our loveable Dragon Ball characters, but I always intended for this story to become more of its own thing. Please leave a review if you want._

 _Next Time... Chapter 33: Domination Diminished_


	33. Arc VI: Domination Diminished

_**Chapter 33: Domination Diminished**_

Talia felt as if all the life had drained out of her. She was weak, not physically, but mentally. What she had witnessed had certainly affected her and made her feel guilty. It was her fault that those parents had come this way, it was her fault that the little girl had been there in the first place, it was all her fault. Why did she even come to this camp?

Eventually, the guards brought Talia through a hallway and threw her, and the child, down on the ground where a man stood, up at a window. This situation was becoming too familiar for Talia now. She didn't even bother to get up and just lay on the ground, tears in her eyes. The little girl ran over to Talia and tried to get her to stand up, but Talia couldn't do it.

" **I don't like troublemakers in my camps,"** This man said, his back remained to the girls. He spoke with eloquence and definitely sounded of a higher-class. He was in charge here. Talia still didn't move. The little girl dropped to her knees beside Talia and was sniffling, she'd clearly been crying.

The man turned around and started to walk down some steps, towards Talia. He was wearing an armour similar to what Cold Empire soldiers had, although it had a strange couple of symbols on the right side of the chest and he also wore a grey cape with it. Talia glanced up, taking in his entire appearance. He had grey hair that was up in a sort of pompadour style, and he had a lilac kind of skin-colour. He was extremely humanoid in his facial features.

" **I could just throw you back to the camps, but you were found with these two swords** ," The man said, holding up the swords, but not touching their handles. He clearly knew about the Dark Blades. **"You will earn me quite a bit of praise from my leaders."**

Talia looked back down, not saying another word.

" **As for the little girl, she isn't needed,"** The man said. This managed to get a bit of a reaction from Talia as she gritted her teeth and shuffled slightly. This went unnoticed by the man. He walked over to a control panel and looked down at the screen. **"You took out quite a few of my soldiers. I'm not very happy about that… and neither are some of my men."**

Talia could hear them move behind her and even heard some crack their knuckles. She finally took a breath and got up to her knees. Staring blankly ahead of her. The man looked down at her, bending down slightly.

" **Can you not look at me?"** He asked, teasingly.

" **Just kill me…"** Talia muttered, **"I deserve it."**

" **Maybe you do, but we have plenty of other plans for you right now. Plus, I know that my soldiers have their intentions,"** The man said, looking up at his men. Talia glanced over her shoulder slightly. **"Some of them have good ideas, and you're still young."**

" **You got that right, Commander Roik!"** One of the soldiers called out, chuckling and coming close to Talia, breathing heavily in her ear. She visibly shivered at this and clenched her fists. The commander noticed this and smirked.

" **This angers you. The thought of my men having their way with you,"** He started to say, clearly trying to tease and annoy her. Talia kept her mouth shut, but her anger was building and she wanted to hurt them all. The commander moved in close to her and came down to be level with her face. He lifted it up so she was looking him in the eyes. He slowly strokes her cheek. **"Once they're done with you we'll find out just where you come from and who will pay the highest price for you."**

He then gripped her face with his right hand and licked her cheek, causing her to shake and cringe at the feeling. He pulled away, laughing.

" **As for the little one, she can die,"** He said, looking over to her as she started crying uncontrollably. Talia felt tears coming to her eyes again and so badly wanted to do something, but there wasn't anything right now. She just lost whatever drive she usually had.

" **You're sick…"** Talia said as the commander started to turn around. **"You and all of your men."**

He turned back to face her and showed her the swords again.

" **These will look good with the rest of my trophies,"** He then motioned his head towards the exit and looked at his soldiers. **"Take them both to a cell for now. Clean-up duty comes first."**

The soldiers groaned as they dragged Talia and the girl back down the hallway and towards the prison. One of the soldiers seemed happier than the rest. He turned to two of them and ordered them to take the little girl to her own cell, and he then turned to the other two and told them to start clean-up. He said he'll deal with the killer. Talia found herself being dragged away from the little girl, but she looked back and saw her get locked in a cell and left alone. Talia was taken down a different corridor and thrown into a different kind of cell. It was far more solitary. She was thrown on the floor as they entered.

The soldier closed the door behind him and Talia heard it lock. She didn't want to turn around right now, but she heard the soldier chuckling to himself as he approached her.

" **Time for a little fun."**

* * *

Guida and Niku were still on their search for a lonely Cold Empire soldier. The plan to take a suit of armour was the best one either of them had and it was pretty good, if Niku was to be honest with Guida. Really, Niku didn't want to have to wear a proper Cold Empire uniform again, but this was to help Talia. He was just happy that Guida agreed to help.

" **Wait. Stop,"** Guida whispered as they rounded a corner into an alley. He dove behind a box and Niku had to follow suit. They looked up the alley as a group of soldiers made their way down. They waited for the soldiers to pass by and kept moving. They didn't want to be seen without the uniform otherwise they may be recognised later. They rushed on down the alley once they were in the clear and upon reaching the exit they came to an area that looked down on a port, but to the left there was one Cold Empire soldier standing there, leaning over the railing.

Niku approached slowly and took the soldier in a sleeper-hold, managing to get him to pass out. Now they had their suit. It's lucky they were one-size-fits-all. Niku put the uniform on and stretched to get reacquainted with the flexibility.

" **This is an updated one from what I used, feels great,"** Niku said, as he moved into a fight stance. Guida shook his head and walked past.

" **We better head to the camp now."**

" **Wait, don't you need a suit too?"** Niku asked, but Guida shook his head.

" **It'll work much better if I pretend to be a prisoner, or some criminal,"** Guida suggested, **"That way, when we get in there you can take me straight to the prison area."**

" **Good idea, now we should get moving there,"** Niku reached for his binders and walked over to Guida. **"Sorry, I have to put these on you."**

Guida smirked and held his hands in front of him. Niku put the binders on and the two started to make their way back towards the camp. It didn't take them too long and they were at the front checkpoint again. As Niku walked up with Guida a soldier stepped in front of them.

" **Who's this fool?"** The soldier asked. Niku, bigger than the solider, looked down on him.

" **I caught him stealing supplies from a nearby scavenger ship and felt like a couple of nights in a cell, and a few beatings, might set him straight,"** Niku explained, casually, showing his experience with the soldiers. Guida started to try and break free to make it seem more realistic. The soldier looked at Niku closely and then nodded.

" **Go through, take him straight to the prison bay,"** The soldier commanded, stepping aside and letting them walk across the bridge towards the entrance. Guida and Niku made sure to keep up the act until they made it inside. Upon getting through those doors Guida turned to Niku.

" **I hope you know which way to go,"** Guida asked, quietly. Niku scoffed and pushed Guida to the left.

" **Get moving, scum,"** Niku said, keeping up his Cold Empire persona. Guida was shocked by this as there weren't any soldiers around, but he realised there may be cameras watching them. All they needed to do now was find Talia.

* * *

Back in that cell, Talia picked herself up and turned around, leaning back against the wall. She remained seated on the ground though as the soldier started to move closer. He had an excited and creepy smile on his face, Talia looked around her to find something she could use as a weapon, but no luck.

" **Oh, baby,"** The soldier said, licking his lips and rubbing his hands together. **"You're so young and cute, just how I like them."**

This made Talia wince and look away. He moved right close to Talia's face and placed his right hand on her cheek and his left on her leg.

" **I'm gonna enjoy this,"** The soldier muttered as he leaned in closer. He was inches from Talia's face and the girl couldn't back up any further. This couldn't go on, and it wouldn't. Talia closed her eyes and head-butted the soldier and then kicked him back away from her. He stumbled back, but managed to remain on his feet. He shook his head and lifted a hand to his nose to feel blood. He was about to say something else before looking back at Talia.

Talia's white aura had flared up around her and her hair was waving around. She slowly made it to her feet and broke out of her shackles. The soldier backed right up against the wall and was clearly scared of what was going on. Talia's eyes had turned completely white and it appeared as if she had no more control. She rushed towards the soldier and just with her nails, she slashed across the soldier's throat, cutting it open. Blood spilt to the floor and Talia started to refocus.

The soldier fell to the ground and bled out, while also suffocating due to all the blood now filling his lungs. Talia watched him writhing in pain with the most neutral of facial expressions. She stepped over him and smashed the door open, knocking it right off its hinges. There were a couple of soldiers standing outside in the halls of the prison area and they had been drawn to the commotion. Talia shot them a glare of utter contempt and raised her hand.

She manipulated her energy sending a pulse through the air that knocked all of the soldiers off of their feet and thrust them into the walls. They dropped to the ground, passed-out and Talia continued forward. As she walked on her energy started to calm down and she was beginning to regain her sense over the situation. She seemed completely oblivious of the change her energy had just gone through. Talia approached one of the bodies on the floor and took a small blade from him and continued down the hall.

A couple of other soldiers rushed down and had their weapons aimed right at the teenager. Talia took in how many of them there were. She then assessed her distance. About 10 feet. Normally, this is something that Talia could find some enjoyment in, but right now, she had something to really fight for, other than her own life. She threw the blade at the soldier on the right with an extreme pace. It hit the soldier in the face and as it did Talia sprung from her spot and reached that same soldier, pulling out the blade. She then jumped to the other soldier and sliced his throat and dropped down to slash at his gut too.

Both those soldiers fell to the ground, dying, as Talia walked on. She had to find the commander now. Talia was about to leave the prison area, but stopped when she heard a voice calling out. A young girl's. That's when Talia remembered something. She turned and rushed back to the prison area and saw the little girl in the cell. She managed to find more strength again and ripped through the cell bars. The girl rushed up to Talia and hugged her. Talia accepted the embrace and then backed off.

" **I'm going to need you to stay somewhere safe. I'm going to put you inside one of the solitary cells and I'll be back for you soon, trust me,"** Talia tried her best to explain to the girl, but forgot that she couldn't understand her. Talia started to lead her to one of the solitary cells, but just as they entered one a lot more soldiers arrived and Talia had to quickly sort out the situation.

She pushed the girl into the room and closed the door, then proceeded to cut through all the soldiers and finally, she left to find the commander. As she made her way up to where the commander had been before Talia was cutting through many soldiers. Right now, she didn't care about all the killing. All Cold Empire soldiers had blended into one massive mistake as far as she was concerned and they were all guilty of many crimes. Talia would do something here, today.

As she finally reached the Commander's room she was instantly surrounded by many more Cold Empire soldiers although some of them looked a lot more elite than others. The Commander was standing at the end of the room by his window, but he was facing Talia.

" **You really are a nuisance,"** Commander Roik stated, a smirk on his face. He then lifted a hand to give his soldiers the signal. Talia, with her one blade, moved into a stance, ready for anything.

* * *

Guida and Niku finally made it to the prison part of this camp and were instantly met by many dead Cold Empire soldiers. There was a lot of blood around the place.

" **Talia's been busy,"** Guida said, stepping over the bodies and moving through. Niku was looking into the cells, trying to see if Talia was inside any of them, but if she really was responsible for all this mess then she wouldn't have stuck around.

" **We better find her,"** Niku stated as he prepared to rush off and follow the trail, but then they started to hear some light banging and a child's voice. **"Do you hear that?"**

" **A child?"** Guida said, questioningly. He looked up at Niku and then started to try and follow the voice that was calling out. They made sure to have their weapons up, just in case. Niku was the one that came closest to the voice and realised it was inside a cell. He opened up the cell and saw a very small girl there, but she looked almost like a younger version of Talia.

" **Ok…"** Niku murmured to himself, **"There's a mini-Talia here."**

Guida headed over to see what Niku was on about and noticed the girl. He raised his eyebrows and looked to Niku. They were both surprised about this. The little girl started to back away from the two men, but then Niku bent down and tried to be friendly.

" **We ain't here to hurt you, come with us,"** Niku said, beckoning for her to closer, but she only cowered away. Guida looked at Niku and then around at the bodies. He then stepped past Niku.

" **You're dressed like them, she's scared. I'm not though,"** Guida put his weapons down and walked over to the girl. **"Hey, we're not going to hurt you. We're not with them."**

Guida said all this and was making hand gestures to try and get his point across. He could tell she didn't understand them. She was warming up to Guida though and even let him pick her up.

" **We have to take this kid with us, if she's the same species as Talia then maybe it will mean something to her,"** Guida said as he and Niku walked on, following the trail. Guida made sure to cover the girl's eyes though, not wanting her to see this violent stuff.

* * *

The soldiers didn't close in on Talia right away. They waited for her to make the first move. Big mistake. Talia jumped to action and was in there with that small blade. She slashed at the two soldiers closest to her, causing them to drop back as Talia moved on to the next few. She leapt at one and drove the blade through their chest and as he landed on his back Talia jumped up, avoiding a hit from another soldier, throwing the blade down at that same one. It struck him in the face and he stumbled back in pain as Talia, no longer holding a weapon, dropped to the ground.

She straightened up as a few of the soldiers started to back away. Commander Roik looked around at his soldiers, showing weakness in front of this girl. The soldiers took a second, but they aimed their weapons back on the girl, awaiting the order to fire.

" **SHOOT HER!"** The commander yelled, clearly losing patience, and control. The soldiers opened fire and Talia had to duck and dive to avoid being hit. She rolled towards the soldiers, kicked one over and started to use him as cover as she moved over to a table where she noticed something. Her blades.

The commander saw where Talia was heading and he wasn't prepared to let her get what she needed. He rushed to the same table getting there are the same time as the teenager, but only managing to get a hand on one of the blades. Talia jumped up, grabbed her sword and performed a back-flip towards the soldiers. Reunited with one of her swords, Talia started to feel her energy returning.

Meanwhile, commander Roik had dropped Talia's other swords on the ground and was backing against the wall, gripping his right wrist. Not having thought about it he grabbed the sword by the handle and now there were some burns on the palm of his right hand. He was beginning to feel extremely nervous now.

Talia, however, was in her element as she began to tear through the soldiers without second guessing herself. Talia's increase in power, and her rage, seemed to have blinded her as she killed all of those soldiers. Once done, Talia stood in the centre of the room with all those dead bodies, and blood, around her. Roik was at the other side of the room watching in fear. Talia glanced over to him and he flinched, but had nowhere to run to.

Talia walked over to the commander, slowly. Guida and Niku finally arrived as Talia stepped up to the commander and without a second thought, slashed her sword through his neck, removing his head from his body. The head dropped and rolled away as the body fell into a heap on the floor. Talia took her other sword, sheathed them both and turned around, but was surprised to see Guida and Niku, and the girl.

Finally, Talia's rage seemed to calm as she rushed over to check on the girl who had broken free of Guida's arms and run over to Talia. The two of them embraced, and Talia began to cry. Guida and Niku walked over to them.

" **Do you know each other?"** Guida asked, placing a hand on Talia's shoulder. Talia looked up, wiping a tear away.

" **No, not really,"** Talia responded, standing up with the girl in her arms. **"I found her in the camp…"**

Talia stalled and looked to the ground, saddened.

" **Her parents are dead."**

Both Guida and Niku looked to each other and back to Talia. Both girls were clearly not thrilled to be here right now and to be perfectly honest, they just needed to get out of there now. The group rushed off and made their way into the camps and began to free the prisoners. They all fight the guards as they make their way through, leading the prisoners to the exit. They did this successfully and managed to get back to their ship, safely. But now…

Before they got on the ship Talia stopped, still holding the little girl. Talia looked into the girl's eyes and started to think deeply. Guida and Niku turned to face their ally.

" **I don't know what to do…"** Talia said, tears still in her eyes. **"As far as we both know we're the only ones of our species out here, and… I don't think I could just leave her."**

" **What are you going to do?"** Niku asked.

" **I… I don't know…"** Talia said, getting choked up. She placed a hand on the girl's face and smiled at her. That's when Talia remembered something. She turned to face her allies quickly. **"My translator… get it, and get her one too!"**

Niku quickly rushed off and returned with two translators, Talia put hers in and then gave the girl the other one. For a moment Talia was unsure of what to say and the two of them just stared at one another.

" **Hello…"** Talia said, nervously. **"Do you understand me?"**

There was an extended moment of silence as the little girl's eyes went wide, realising she could understand her and a smile appeared on her face.

" **I do!"** She said, excitably. Talia smiled too and composed herself.

" **Ok… um, what's your name?"** Talia asked.

" **Aimu,"** the little girl replied. Talia's smile softened a little and she leaned back.

" **Well, hello there, Aimu. I'm Talia,"** The teenager said, her smile fading a little. **"Do you know anything about our race, where we're from?"**

Aimu had to ponder that thought. Clearly thinking over anything her parents might have said, but she seemed far too confused and thinking about her parents didn't appear to be a good idea right now as she started to get upset again.

" **I'm sorry, please, try not to cry,"** Talia said, pulling the girl into a hug again. **"I understand how you feel… a little."**

Both Niku and Guida were still standing there, watching Talia bond with this girl.

" **I never knew my parents. I was raised on the streets of a city on an unknown planet,"** Talia explained to the girl, hoping she would understand. Aimu was probably a little too young though. Talia just kept the hug going, but her original thought returned. **"I don't know what to do, Aimu."**

She pulled out of the hug and looked into the girl's eyes again, this time she was serious, and trying to fight back tears.

" **I don't want to leave you, but you can't go where we're going… it's just far too dangerous,"** Talia explained. **"So… I want to find you a new family. Now, I know that's not the best option, but it's the only thing I can think of."**

Aimu didn't seem to quite understand, but she was definitely doing her best.

" **But once we've done what we need to… I will return for you. I will,"** Talia said, getting choked up again and pulling the girl into another tight embrace. **"I promise you."**

The two of them remained in the hug as Niku and Guida went off to prepare the ship for take-off.

* * *

Talia spent quite a bit of time in a very, very posh district as she desperately tried to find someone that looked worthy of looking after this girl. Talia saw a rather nice-looking couple, they appeared to have an older son, probably about Talia's age. The teenager, took Aimu with her as she followed the couple and their son back to their apartment in a very nice building.

Talia followed them up to their floor and knocked on their door. The wife opened it.

" **May I help you?"** She said, looking very sympathetic to how the two of them looked.

" **Um… well,"** Talia was very nervous, but looked into Aimu's eyes again and knew she was doing the right thing. **"I'm sorry to put this on you, but you looked really nice and friendly and I really hope you can do me this favour, even though you don't know me…"**

Talia realised how stupid she was being and turned around.

" **Forget it…"**

" **Wait,"** The wife said, following Talia down the hall. **"Tell me what it is."**

Talia stopped, looked down at Aimu and started to cry again, she turned around and wiped her tears away.

" **I need you to look after this girl for me,"** Talia finally blurted out. The wife was certainly taken aback, but listened. **"Her name is Aimu, she's very young and came from a Cold Empire camp. Her parents are dead and as far as I know she's the only remaining person of our species. I want to care for her, but I have something far too dangerous that I need to do first and I don't want her to be caught up in it. So please, please, please, can you do me this very big favour?"**

The wife stood in silence as her husband stepped out, hearing what had gone on. The couple walked forward as Talia set Aimu down. The little girl gingerly walked forward, but looked back at Talia and reached her arms out to her. Talia fought back her tears and had to be strong because if she was, then hopefully Aimu could be strong too.

" **I will come back for you."**

With that, Talia turned and rushed away. She couldn't bear it any longer and had to get all this emotion out of her. The couple took Aimu into their arms and promised to each other that they would do this for that teenager.

Talia returned to the ship and was ready to leave with her allies. She apologised that they didn't get Shirken and crew this time, but Guida assured her that it was ok and they would get them next time, for sure. Guida made sure to inform them that the crew would be stopping at a planet called Eoz so they could get some work. This would benefit them a lot because it may mean that's where they'll take up residence.

It was on to Eoz next…

After all of that day, Talia had to shut herself away for a little bit and started to think about Aimu. She would definitely keep that promise.

* * *

 _So there is the end of that little 3-part tale I was telling. Next time we get part 1 of the 2-part finale to this arc! I've been excited about writing this part of the story and I hope you readers will enjoy it!_

 _If you liked what you read here today then please, leave a review, it's been far too long since I last read one._

 _Thanks._

 _Next Time... Chapter 34: Dawn of Ashes - Part 1_


	34. Arc VI: Dawn of Ashes - Part One

_Here is the penultimate chapter for this arc! Part 1 of a big Finale! Enjoy._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 34: Dawn of Ashes – Part One**_

 _Deep in the Uncharted Regions of the Galaxy_

The sanctuary sat in silence. All that could be heard was the rushing of a couple of pairs of footsteps running through the halls towards the throne. Wuggles and Moonstone barged through the door, disregarding their Master's usual orders to not do so, but this was very important.

" **Sir! Master Kuyato!"** They both shouted in unison. The cloaked figure looked up from his throne.

" **What is it?"** He spoke in that same deep, scratchy, well-spoken tone. He wasn't happy with being disturbed, but he would be even more annoyed when he heard the news.

" **Freeza has been kill, sir,"** Wuggles informed his Master. Moonstone nodded and stepped up.

" **And his army destroyed…"** The second troll followed up. Kuyato gripped the arms of his chair and slowly stood.

" **How?"** He yelled. Wuggles and Moonstone quickly explained everything. How Freeza didn't search for the artefact and went to Earth for revenge. Also, how he spent six months training. Kuyato walked down the steps. Both Wuggles and Moonstone cowered in fear, but their Master walked past them. **"I was disobeyed… I need to take a few different steps…"**

Wuggles and Moonstone looked to each other, but then Kuyato turned to face them and finished his sentence.

" **A few steps to do things myself,"** He finished. That's when the door opened behind him and in stepped a figure wearing a rather spacey looking armour. It was black with a little bit of red trim. The armour was also covered in a rather shredded cloak. This person also wore a helmet and there were two blades sheathed on his back. It was Yamo Niha.

" **I think I can help you with that…"** Niha stated, in a metallic/robotic tone, **"My Lord."**

" **It is about time you come to me,"** Kuyato stated, seeming rather pleased. **"Let's revive the Dark Blades."**

* * *

After their experiences with the Cold Empire, things continued for the team of allies. Guida, Niku and Talia continued on their mission to catch up with Shirken and crew. They had to get that location from them in some way and they wouldn't stop until they did so. In this time, they had a few close calls with Shirken and his team and this led them to a few unknown and unpopulated planets where some fights would happen, but no success.

However, this did give the team a lot more opportunities to get to know one another and become quite good allies. They were finally starting to work together in the hopes of achieving this common goal.

It was only after an encounter with a Saiyan named Noca that their chances started to look a little better. By helping Noca rescue his friend and ally, Vegeta, Talia was able to infiltrate Shirken's ship and manage to take the map that they needed in order to get to Yamo Niha. It was a very successful mission and they were well on their way to doing what they needed. Noca and Vegeta rejected the offer to join their quest and went about their own one. It didn't seem like they would ever see Noca and Vegeta again, but you never know in a universe like this one.

What was important, was getting on with the mission at hand. They blasted off, following the coordinates on the files they took from Shirken, but they wouldn't be heading that way alone. They were being followed… by Shirken himself.

Their ship was far enough behind to go unnoticed, and they didn't need to worry about losing the ship because they knew exactly where it was going. They knew where the map led and just because the file was stolen, it didn't mean they didn't still have another version on the system. This wasn't going to be difficult. They just needed to bide their time.

This didn't make Shirken feel any better though. He was angry. He knew he no longer worked for Yamo Niha, but this felt like one last failure that he would soon have to pay for. If Niha were to come out of this unscathed, which was very likely, then Shirken would be punished for sure. But he couldn't let his fear show, that's why he converted it into anger at himself, but made sure it seemed like he was angry at the rest of the team.

" **We should try to warn Niha,"** Shirken said out loud, he turned to Tufa who was the one at the communication controls and the big man started doing his best to reach out to Niha, but seemed to be getting a little frustrated and this annoyed Shirken. **"What is it?!"**

" **I'm trying to connect to the frequency, but there's nothing,"** Tufa replied. Shirken stood up.

" **Impossible, he said that was the only way to contact him and it would always work…"** Shirken stated, walking over to the control panel where Tufa was. He looked at the screen himself and noticed it. **"He's gone off the radar… completely."**

The rest of the crew looked to Shirken, as if he would have the answers, but he seemed lost. He just stepped back, looked around the room and then at Kuiku.

" **Keep after them,"** He ordered, walking out of the room shortly after and heading to his own quarters. He sat at a table and started running through the planetary systems that he knew Niha associated with. Trying to get some idea on where he would have gone and why. He was always so secretive and never told Shirken why. It always bothered him.

* * *

Meanwhile, the little ship with our heroes continued to move on towards the location on that file. Guida, sitting in his chair and looking at the map, began to notice that he didn't recognise some of the names of systems and stars that they were flying past in hyperspace.

" **I've never been to this part of the Galaxy before,"** He mentioned, although he wasn't really speaking to anybody. **"Most of this is uncharted territory according to the Patrol."**

" **And to the Empire,"** Niku said, joining the topic. **"It's amazing. They always said there was nothing out here."**

Talia said nothing, but her continued silence didn't go unnoticed. Both of them looked to the teenager and she just glanced up. She went to say something, but sighed and the two of them looked away from her again. Truth was, Talia had known about these parts from her time as Niha's ally, but she too had reasons to worry about this. She had only heard from some of Niha's stories what might be here. She was scared that he might have been telling the truth, at least once.

She knew it would probably benefit the crew if she warned them of what they may face, but she also didn't want to believe those stories. As she moved to say something to them there was a loud beeping coming from the computer and it took them all by surprise, but they knew what it meant.

" **We will shortly be coming out of hyperspace at our destination,"** Airen piped up. Niku and the robot began to tap away at the system and prepared for exiting hyperspace. They all needed to be calm and ready for whatever came their way. There could be anything waiting for their arrival.

The ship rapidly exited hyperspace and was instantly greeted by a mass of ship wreckage. The ship had come out far too quickly and was struck by some big debris. It managed to knock the ship to the side, but luckily the shields were up and they were relatively safe from any real damage. Airen and Niku did have to get on the controls quickly and slow the ship down to avoid any more hits.

They had to perform a couple of evasive manoeuvres to get out of the way of some more debris that floated around, but there certainly was a lot of it. Both Airen and Niku weren't having fun trying to get it through, but they managed and they were in one piece. The shields remained up and the ship was no going through at a steady and safe pace.

Talia stood up from her seat and went to the window to look out at everything as they flew through towards the signal on the map.

" **There aren't any planets… or moons, just…"** She stopped and turned around to face the others, **"Just wreckage and remains."**

Guida stood up as well and went to look out with Talia.

" **Someone clearly wanted to be left alone,"** Guida muttered to the girl.

" **And I think I found why,"** Niku mentioned, grabbing the attentions of the other two. They walked over to looked out of the front with Niku and that's when they spotted it. Far from the east of the system's star there was a larger collection of wreckage and it seemed to serve as some sort of barrier ring around some form of structure building into a large rock formation. **"That's where we're headed."**

As the ship continued onwards it fell silent on-board the ship and that was just representative of how silent it was in this sector. There wasn't the slight hint of life to be found. No small ships, no space creatures had taken up residence and it didn't even seem like any life signs were coming from the main structure. That's when the ship's instruments started to play up a bit and almost everything had shut off, aside from the main flight control and the shields. It was just the scanners and communications systems that had turned off.

They headed towards the structure and came upon what looked like a hangar and they landed down inside. Guida, Niku, and Talia all prepared their weapons, breathing apparatus, and were getting ready to head out of the ship and into the building. Airen would stay behind in case they needed to make a quick getaway or something tried to take their ship.

The trio made their way out and were in the hangar. They looked around, but there wasn't much to see. They looked up to see that parts of the roof were collapsed in and that was the only thing that was letting any light into this hangar. There was rubble and dust everywhere. The trio walked forward. The two men had their rifles at the ready while Talia had one of her swords out at the ready with the other still sheathed on her back.

They finally made it to the first door at the end of the hangar and noticed the control panel was still functioning. Niku hit a button and the door opened. The three of them stepped through and the door closed right away. The hallway was pitch black for a second, but there must have been a sensor because more than half the lights flickered on, showing them parts of the hall. They continued on.

Niku was leading them, Guida walked through the middle, and Talia was at the back. As they all walked on Talia suddenly stopped and shook her head. The others hadn't noticed and continued, but Talia was feeling something strange. She looked to her right and started to basically examine the wall. The other two kept walking, but Talia had full on stopped now. Something was getting to her, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

As she reached a hand out and went to touch the wall it seemed to flip and out came someone with a sword. They swiped forward, hoping to strike Talia, but the girl jumped back, avoiding it. The noise seemed to get Niku's and Guida's attentions and they turned to see Talia in a sword fight. Suddenly, lots of different parts of the walls opened up and more Dark Blades revealed themselves. Niku and Guida both started to open fire, but had to make sure they didn't get Talia.

The girl knocked the first fighter's sword up and then jabbed them through the gut. As Talia pulled the sword out and turned, they had dropped to the ground and a couple of them started walking towards her. She charged forward, finding some of her energy, jabbed one of them through the chest and then turned to slice down on the other. They protected themselves by holding their sword horizontally above them and started to push back, but Talia, using her free hand, managed to get her other sword unsheathed and hit that Dark Blade in the side. He loosened his grip on his defence and Talia embedded the other sword in their shoulder.

Talia twisted around and charged forward into more of the other Dark Blades and was swinging her swords around, slashing and slicing at all of them. Meanwhile, Guida and Niku were still gunning down a few of them. It was surprising, they all seemed to pop out of nowhere, but that didn't mean they were about to stop and start asking questions, they were going to try and kill them all.

The two of them managed to get to the end of the hall and were at the door. Niku hit the controls again and they moved through into the next room. They now had the cover of the walls and poked around to fire down the hall as Talia moved on through.

" **We need to clear a path for Talia,"** Guida told his ally. Niku nodded and they both started to fire at the Dark Blades that were around Talia. She noticed they were trying to help her and started to move up towards them. She was still attacking, but also had to get to her allies so they could move on with the rest of this mission. She did eventually manage to get to them and ran around into cover to regain some of her strength and energy. She was a little tired out.

" **You guys need to go on,"** Talia said, breathing a little heavily. She straightened up and wiped a bit of blood off of her face. She started to notice some damage, but she basically brushed it off and turned to her allies again. **"I mean it, I can handle all of these."**

Guida and Niku turned around the corner again and continued to fire on the Dark Blades and also getting an idea on how many there were that Talia was planning to take on her own. It was a big hallway… so about 20 of them were left. They came back into the room and stared at Talia.

" **What? I can do it,"** She said, annoyed at them for judging her. **"Go and find Niha."**

They nod in agreement and rush off through the next few rooms. Talia took a couple more breaths and turned around into the doorway. She has both her swords at the ready by her sides and her aura began to flare up. That white energy was bright and caused all the Dark Blades warriors to stop moving for a second. Talia's hair began to flare around her again and her eyes went white. There were also some red sparks around her body and even her blades started to shine a little.

Some of the Dark Blades backed off, but others stood strong. Talia's aura calmed down a little and her hair had calmed down. Her eyes returned to normal and she smirked, charging forward and beginning to attack all the Dark Blades. She did get hit a couple of times, but that wasn't going to stop her.

Guida and Niku made it to the large throne room and saw the stairs leading to the chair. It was hidden by shadows and it looked as if someone was sitting there. Guida and Niku stepped forward, guns aimed up and they were focussed. Neither of them said anything and they expected whoever it was in that seat to make some sort of move. They didn't. Guida couldn't take the waiting anymore and fired a single shot. It struck the figure in the head and then they started to roll down the stairs, coming to a stop at the bottom.

The two of them looked to each other and moved forward. Guida had his weapon aimed on the body as he moved forward, while Niku looked around the room and kept an eye out in case anyone was hiding. He got a chance to see some of the statues that were around the room and noticed they were all cloaked. Maybe they were Dark Blade related.

Guida got to the body and looked down on it, but instantly yelled out loud in annoyance. He kicked the body and dropped to his knees, punching the ground. Niku rushed over to see what was wrong and instantly got his answer. He stopped and sighed in annoyance.

" **It's not him…"** Niku muttered, turning away and walking up the stairs. He had his gun ready and saw nothing in the seat. He turned back to see Guida get to his feet.

" **Talia said this would lead us to Niha. She said he would be here,"** Guida started to walk to the door. Niku rushed down the steps.

" **Wait, no,"** Niku got in front of Guida. **"How was she meant to know for sure where this would take us. Maybe he was here, but he could have moved on."**

" **I can't follow maybes,"** Guida told his ally, brushing past him, gun ready.

" **She wouldn't have done this on purpose, Guida,"** Niku said, assuring his friend. Guida stopped. **"You know that."**

Guida lowered his weapon and turned around, nodding to Niku. Soon after, Talia rushed in seeing that Guida and Niku were just standing there. She sheathed her swords and approached them.

" **What's going on? Where is he?"** Talia asked, showing that she was just as surprised as they were that he wasn't there. Guida didn't look at Talia, still pretty angry with everything. Niku approached her.

" **Is there anything else you know? Anything about this place maybe?"** Niku asked, hoping for something. Talia shook her head and sighed.

" **I thought we had him…"** She said, clearly disappointed. Niku placed a hand on her shoulder.

" **Maybe we can see what those soldiers know?"** Niku suggested, pointing towards the hallway. Talia looked down the hall and then at the blood on her and up at Niku.

" **I was pretty damn thorough,"** She said, smirking a little. **"But we can check."**

All three of them head to the hall and notice a Dark Blade trying to drag himself away to safety. Niku walked forward and pulled the Dark Blade back and threw him against a wall. He wasn't able to stand because of his injuries. He was clearly in a lot of pain and lucky to still be alive. Guida comes over and grabs the Dark Blade, punching him in the face.

" **Tell us where Niha is!"** Guida yelled at the Dark Blade, punching him again. He just smiled and laughed, not saying anything. Guida was clearly a bit annoyed by that and punched him again. **"Tell me!"**

The Dark Blade still didn't say anything. Niku and Talia stayed behind Guida to make sure he didn't do anything to go too far. Guida was getting more and more annoyed with this Dark Blade's laughter though and started to beat him some more. Finally, Talia got involved and pushed Guida off of him. Guida wasn't happy about that, but neither was Talia.

" **You can't just beat him and hope for an answer, let me try,"** Talia said, turning to the Dark Blade and taking out one of her swords and showing it to him. **"You know what this is?"**

The man didn't say anything for a second and glanced down on the sword quickly, but had to look again when he noticed something that took him by surprise. This girl had just managed to bring him and his allies down by using this sword and he hadn't noticed it before. Talia noticed the surprise in his eyes and knew she was making progress.

" **A… blessed blade…"** he mumbled, showing some fear at not only seeing the blade, but also that Talia was holding it by the handle with no problems. **"Only a true Dark Blade can carry such a weapon."**

" **Well, what does that make me then?"** Talia questioned. The man was trembling and Talia knew she had him now. **"You saw that I am capable with this sword, so tell me where Niha is."**

" **Namek…"** The man finally said, not confident in himself any longer. Talia shook her head and looked up to her allies, Guida shrugged his shoulders.

" **Never heard of it,"** Talia said.

" **I have,"** Niku responded. Guida and Talia turned to look at Niku who was looking right at the Dark Blade. **"And I think I know why he's going there."**

" **I'm sure we don't have to worry about any Namekians, right?"** Guida questioned, clearly not knowing much about them or why anyone would go to their planet.

" **It's not the Namekians we need to worry about, it's the Dragon Balls,"** Niku told them. They still stared blankly. **"Sorbet wanted them once… said they could help us bring Lord Freeza back."**

Niku started to move off, down the hall back to where the ship was. Talia and Guida followed and they were all about to leave.

" **Wait…"**

The three of them turned around to see the Dark Blade attempting to stand.

" **It's not going to be safe… Niha won't be alone,"** The Dark Blade started to explain. He opened his mouth to say more, but was suddenly shot in the head and fell to the ground, dead. The trio instantly rushed to the throne room and took cover behind the walls as more blasts came their way. They waited until the attack died down and poked their heads around to see Shirken and his team standing there.

" **Damn them!"** Guida yelled, getting his rifle ready. Niku also prepared his gun, they would need to fight back. Both of them got to firing their weapons back at Shirken and his crew. Talia tried to find an exit out of that room, but it soon dawned on them that there was only one way in and out of that throne room. She returned the other two and let them know they needed to push through somehow.

" **If we could distract them maybe we can push through,"** Talia suggested as she stepped away and began trying to channel her energy again. It was good that she had been training in the time she had worked with this crew and after meeting Noca she knew that meditation would help in some way. Talia closed her eyes and her aura returned, along with the red sparks. She walked into the hall and took out her swords. Guida and Niku go to stop her until they realise she is deflecting their blaster bolts with her swords.

She doesn't manage to get close enough to attack with her swords though, due to the mass weapon intensity coming at her. She had to put all her focus into defending. Well, almost all her defence. Part of her attention was going to focussing some more of her energy. She managed to get it in front of her to serve as a defensive barrier and then she slammed her swords together in an x-shape in front of her. That caused a mini-explosion in the hallway that filled it with smoke, impairing vision.

Talia rushes through as they are all disoriented and the other two take the initiative and head forward as well. Niku manages to get through, bumping into Shirken on the way. This got Shirken's attention and he figured out what was going. He looked back up the hall and saw Guida coming through. He stepped out and managed to tackle Guida, stopping him from getting through.

The smoke started to clear to reveal that Guida and Shirken were standing in front of one other, ready to fight.

" **Get after the others,"** Shirken ordered his men. They all rushed off, leaving the brothers together. Both of them threw their guns to the ground and were ready to have a proper fight. Guida clenched his fists and moved into a stance. Shirken did the same and made the first move. He moved forward, aiming for Guida's head, but the former patrolman held an arm up to defend and aimed his own punch forward.

Shirken managed to defend against that one relatively easily and it seemed to go around in that circle for a few seconds before Guida dropped back and went low, kicking out at Shirken's legs. Guida got on top of Shirken and went to punch him in the face, but the traitorous brother used his knee to push Guida back and stood up, kicking him in the gut and knocking him back into the wall. Guida struck the wall and gripped his gut, glaring at his brother.

" **Don't go after Niha,"** Shirken ordered, **"It won't end well for anyone."**

" **I need to, don't you understand?"** Guida questioned, yelling and charging for his brother, pushing him into the wall and started to punch him in the gut a few times. Shirken managed to get his hands in there and pushed Guida back, but now they were in a grappling match. **"I need to get closure!"**

" **What's closure going to do? Your family are already dead,"** Shirken said, looking his brother in the eyes, but this was obviously the wrong thing to say as Guida used his head to take his brother by surprise and knock him back. Shirken grunted and backed away. **"You won't survive this…"**

" **Why do you care?"** Guida asked, moving towards his brother again. Shirken straightens up, sighs, and looks into his brother's eyes again.

" **Because we're family,"** Shirken said, in a calm tone. Guida looked down for a second and took a deep breath, looking back up at his brother.

" **Not anymore,"** Guida rushes forwards and punches Shirken in the head, knocking him back, and their fight continues.

While that fight was going on, Talia and Niku had made it back to the ship, but Niku stopped at the ramp and turned around.

" **You get the ship ready to take off,"** Niku commanded, looking over his shoulder at Talia. **"I'll hold these guys off until Guida can get back."**

Talia nodded and rushed off into the ship. In her head, there was no way she would let Niku have all the fun of this fight, she would just tell Airen to prepare the ship. Niku was confident with his own abilities though. He looked around the main loading bay of the ship and grabbed two weapons he had gathered on missions. A large axe, and a large hammer. He was ready for this. The rifle wasn't needed right now.

Niku walked down the ramp as Shirken's crew arrived. Niku swung both weapons around and then rushed in, attempting to smack them back with the hammer, but mainly using the axe for defence. He didn't intend to kill them unless absolutely necessary. The three of them surrounded Niku and tried to attack at the same time, but Niku would swing his hammer around and managed to hit them a couple of times and the axe served its purpose of keeping them at bay.

Talia rushed through to the control room and saw Airen sitting there waiting, as usual.

" **Get this ship ready to leave when we say so!"** Talia practically yelled at the robot before turning around and darting out of the control room. She wanted to get back to helping Niku. Airen turned in his chair, noticing that Talia wasn't there, sort of shrugged his shoulders and then turned back to the control panel and got the ship's instruments ready.

She sprinted back to the loading bay and saw Niku struggling to keep all three of them back. She grabbed her small pistol and took aim, not knowing which one of the three to open fire upon. The quick one. That's what she told herself upon seeing the heavy weapons that Niku was using and remembering just how agile she was. She fired on Kuiku and this grabbed his attention.

The serpent-like alien turned around and charged for Talia. She threw the pistol to the side and took her swords out once more. Kuiku certainly stopped upon seeing this, but he wasn't planning to turn and run, he would stand his ground and try to fight back, somehow. That's when Talia smirked, dropped her swords and charged into Kuiku. She kicked him in the ribs and then punched him up in the chin. She then jumped up and performed a spinning kick, knocking him back into the ground.

Kuiku got back to his feet and darted around, ending up behind Talia and kicked her in the back. Talia jolted forward, but then saw Kuiku's tail coming from her face. She ducked and turned around, managing to channel some energy and blast it into Kuiku's chest. It wasn't a lot and only pushed him back a little bit. She would need a lot more to stop him.

Back with Guida and Shirken, it was certainly the former that had the most to say in terms of their fight. Shirken was very much on the defensive as Guida bombarded him. Guida knocked Shirken all the way towards the throne room once again and they were fighting through the middle of the room. Shirken really didn't seem to be in the fight, but coming up against his brother, the former patrolman, was always going to be a challenge.

Guida punched his brother in the chest and Shirken fell down at the foot of the staircase that led towards the throne. Guida moved towards Shirken as the weaker of the two tried his best to get up, but also avoid being hit again.

" **Please, Guida… we don't have to fight,"** Shirken was pleading. He clearly didn't want this fight, but Guida didn't care right now. **"Spare me…"**

" **Like you spared my family? No… your own family!"** Guida yelled, grabbing his brother by the throat and punching him in the centre of the face. He then lifted Shirken up and turned to face the rest of the room and after he channelled some of his energy, he punched Shirken in the chest, sending him flying over to the other side of the room. Shirken crashed into the wall and fell into a heap, certainly injured.

Shirken tried to get back up, but Guida got over there quick and punched him down into the ground again. He them stamped on his head and kicked him in the face, breaking his nose. There was a lot of blood. Guida turned around, wanting to finally leave it there. Shirken wasn't fighting back… but then he heard something metal and movement.

Guida turned around to see Shirken holding a metal pipe and moving towards him. Guida grabbed the pipe as Shirken swung it towards him, weakly, and then Guida head-butted his brother back to the ground. Shirken fell to his knees and now Guida had the pipe. Without thinking he swung it and smashed his brother around the head, causing him to sprawl out on the ground and squirm in pain.

" **Niha is going to die,"** Guida said, watching his brother try to crawl away. Guida walked with his brother, pipe still in hand and finding the right moment he took it and planted it straight through his brother's shoulder. Shirken let out a scream of pain as the pipe went straight through his body and because of the power it even went into the ground. Shirken couldn't move now. **"You two will be seeing each other very soon."**

Guida took one last look at his brother and turned away. He rushed back through the hall towards the hangar and saw his allies struggling with the others. He joined in briefly and they managed to knock the three of them away and board their ship, ordering Airen to take off quickly and blast away. For a second, Shirken's allies were fumbling about until one of them decided to throw a tracker on their ship as it blasted out of the hangar, knocking them off of their feet.

It took the three of them a moment before realising that Shirken wasn't around. They rushed to the throne room and saw him on the ground, lots of blood, and a pipe in his body. They removed the pipe and rushed him back to their own ship to get him healed up.

Meanwhile, on-board the ship with our heroes… they were plotting their course for Planet Namek. New Namek to be specific.

* * *

 _So there you have it, part 1 over! I hope you enjoyed it and I hope you're looking forward to the final chapter of this arc. To be perfectly honest, I planned this two parter long before I had a full idea for the arc. I just wanted to give some more time for people to get to know these characters and I had some stories that I wanted to tell that just wouldn't have fit into Noca's character arc._

 _I also got the name for this finale from a DragonForce song (Ashes of the Dawn)._

 _Anyway, sorry for the delay, and if you want to say something or ask something leave a review or send me a PM. Thanks!_

 _Next Time... Chapter 35: Dawn of Ashes - Part Two_


	35. Arc VI: Dawn of Ashes - Part Two

_The finale is here! Enjoy!_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 35: Dawn of Ashes – Part Two**_

The team were able to find New Namek without issue because, believe it or not, it was actually on the map they had acquired from Shirken and crew. This made things relatively easier for them, and with the powerful engines on their ship they were able to blast their way through hyperspace and get to their destination quickly.

Meanwhile, on the peaceful planet, things were quiet. It seemed relatively normal, but there wasn't a single soul in sight. There were some strange looking buildings surrounded by what looked like farmland, but there was no one there to tend to it. The wind blew through and the trees lightly swayed in the breeze. Over towards a large looking group of buildings there was a spaceship. It was larger than the buildings.

This was where things were less normal. A lot of Namekians appeared to have been gathered in a group, but they were surrounded by beings wearing cloaks and brandishing swords. The Namekians were all standing around in fear, aside from a few warriors and one of the elders. None of them dared to attack though, it wasn't worth putting the young at risk in their eyes. Over by the ship there were some more cloaked figures and in front of them, a man in armour, also cloaked. Yamo Niha.

Seemingly in charge of this whole operation, Niha walked over to the group of Namekians and stood in front of the oldest looking one. He was taller than this Namekian and looked down on them. Niha drew his sword and placed it on the elder's shoulder.

" **The Dragon Balls. Bring them before me,"** Niha ordered. The elder stood strong and remained silent. Niha clenched a fist and lowered his sword, leaning in towards the elder. **"If you don't bring them to me immediately I'll start killing your people."**

The elder swallowed, but did their best to remain completely composed and strong. Niha pulled back and walked past the old Namekian. He approached one of the farmers and punched them in the head, knocking them to the ground, he then placed his foot firmly on their neck. The elder winced at the sight of the harm being caused to their people. Niha looked towards the elder and saw the resilience. He shook his head, turned back to the farmer and stabbed them through the back. The farmer tried to yell out in pain, but it only came out as a pained gurgle because of Niha's foot on their neck.

Niha stepped off and walked back towards the elder, twirling the sword as he moved. The elder remained composed, albeit saddened by the sight. Niha sighed and stabbed the Namekian standing to his left. They dropped to the ground immediately. The elder moved forward, but two of the other Dark Blades turned to face him with their weapons drawn. The elder stopped and glared at Niha.

" **Oops,"** Niha said, despite not caring about his actions. He stepped closer to the elder and held his sword up in front of him. **"Smell the blood of your people."**

" **Yamo, that's enough!"** A voice called out from over near the ship. The elder turned around and saw where the voice came from. It was another cloaked being, but this one had his hood down. He appeared very old and frail. His skin a pale grey. He was almost lifeless and his thin, shoulder length, receding white hair helped accentuate that opinion. **"If you kill them all we won't be able to use the Dragon Balls, be patient."**

Niha nodded and stepped to the side as this man continued forward and walked right up to the elder.

" **The Namekians will not give you what you want through fear, they are quite relentless like that, but Freeza managed it once,"** The being said as he held his hand out for the elder. The elder glanced down and back up at the being. The smirk on his face was unsettling.

" **Who are you?"** The elder asked, finally speaking up.

" **The great, Lord Kuyato,"** The frail man said, continuing to smile. **"Although, as you can see, my greatness is dwindling."**

The elder didn't know what to make of any of this, but Kuyato was acting rather friendly. The elder was only nervous around this being, not scared.

" **Please, lend me the Dragon Balls, you'll get them back once I'm done,"** Kuyato asked, politely, which was even more unsettling. Just then, there was a little commotion coming from the back of the group as a younger and taller Namekian stepped up, he was clearly a warrior.

" **Leave us and our planet alone!"** He yelled, defensively. He even took an attacking stance. Kuyato just chuckled. This angered the Namekian and he moved forward to attack Kuyato, but Niha stepped up and knocked him to the ground, aiming his wrist cannon down at him. Kuyato put his hand out, stopping Niha from firing. Niha turned to Kuyato, looked back down to the Namekian and stepped back.

" **What is your name, Warrior?"** Kuyato asked. The Namekian slowly got to his feet and kept his eyes on Niha.

" **Sumur,"** The Namekian answered.

" **You know, Sumur, the Namekians are a truly ancient race, one of the first species in this grand Universe,"** Kuyato started. **"They were always great, powerful warriors. They have amazing power and can be very useful."**

Kuyato looked up to Sumur and saw the wonder and innocence in his eyes.

" **I can give you true power."**

" **Don't listen to him, Sumur!"** The elder yelled.

" **You are young and have amazing potential,"** Kuyato said as he placed his hand on Sumur's head. There was a flash and suddenly Sumur had dropped to his knees with his hands over his eyes. He was shaking his head and the elder started to walk over.

" **I can see the possibilities…"** Sumur mumbled, looking up, his eyes completely black.

" **No, Sumur…"** The elder said, clearly saddened by seeing one of their mightiest young warriors fall to Kuyato's magic. The old being smirked and looked into Sumur's black eyes as the warrior stood up again.

" **I know where the Dragon Balls are located and I can bring them to you,"** Sumur said. The elder dropped to his knees and some of the other Namekians were upset as well and some were angry at Sumur. Kuyato nodded to Sumur and the young Namekian blasted off to gather the Dragon Balls. Niha stepped up again.

" **Well, now we can get rid of the rest of them,"** Niha said as he unsheathed his sword again. Kuyato placed a hand on his shoulder.

" **No, we don't know which one is connected to the Dragon Balls, therefore we wait until the wish is granted,"** Kuyato ordered, seriously. He looked at Niha with a little bit of anger and Niha knew to back off.

Now, they would wait for the Dragon Balls to be brought before them.

* * *

On the way to Namek, our heroes had time to prepare for whatever would be awaiting them once they came out of Hyperspace. Talia was making sure her blades were ready for use, Niku was making sure all the weapons were ready and the ship was in a good enough condition to make a quick getaway if needed. Guida took a moment to talk to Talia before they made their arrival.

" **Hey,"** Guida said, standing in her doorway. She looked up, smirked and went back to her swords. **"Are you ready for this?"**

She nodded once.

" **I have to be, don't I?"** She answered looking up and smiling weakly. Guida nodded.

" **Yeah…"** There was an uneasy silence, Guida looked up the hall and back down at Talia. He thought about what he would say next before saying it. **"You have a grasp on energy, right?"**

Talia nodded again.

" **I don't know a lot,"** She started, putting her swords down and standing up, **"I just know it's sort of always been there throughout my life."**

Guida nodded as he thought on it.

" **I think it's what Niha saw in me, all those years ago now,"** Talia said, staring at an angle towards the ground. Guida looked up at her and could see that what they were preparing for certainly had meaning to her, but it was also very difficult. **"I don't know enough about myself to truly know what my power is and how I can use it."**

" **I know about energy, but…"** Guida cleared his throat, **"What you have is unlike anything I have ever seen before, but I haven't had too many experiences with what energy can really be."**

Talia nodded again and kept looking to the ground. Guida could see that she needed this time to herself.

" **Well, once this is over then maybe we can find out more,"** Guida said as he patted Talia on the shoulder. She looked up and he smiled at him and even though she didn't show it, that was quite reassuring. She smiled back and Guida left her to her thoughts.

She sat down on her bed and looked over to her swords. She took one of them in her hand and ran her fingers over the inscription and the emblem. These swords always meant a lot to her and that was because of Niha, now they had come to this, what may be their final battle with Niha. The end for this chapter in her life, and the start of a bright future. That remained to be seen.

While deep in her thoughts the ship exited Hyperspace.

Upon their arrival to the sector, the team saw the green-ish, blue planet in the distance and slowly made their approach. The three Suns in this system were off-putting at first, but this wasn't something that would deter the crew from making their descent to the planet. From what Niku had told them on the way, the Namekian people were reasonable and usually peaceful, so there wouldn't be much to worry about, especially if they were there to help. They had no idea what Niha could have done to them, so they would be quick about this. Time-wasting would be a truly bad decision now.

There was one point on the planet where a lot of life-forms were clustered, and there were some weaker levels of life located around the planet. Possibly animals or smaller groups of people perhaps. Either way, Airen took the ship down towards the surface and scouted out an open piece of land that wasn't too far away from the large group, but at a safe distance so they could go unnoticed.

The ship landed and all four of the crew gathered in the control room to look over the computer systems. They wanted to make sure that it was safe enough to go outside, but they all stood around in silence. It was as if they knew that something big was about to come their way. Guida nodded to Niku and they both looked over to see if Talia was ready. She was about to acknowledge them, but something seemed to distract her. She shook her head and unsheathed one of her blades. The emblem began to glow, but only briefly. That confused her, but she knew not to dwell on it.

Talia sheathed the blade and looked to her allies. She nodded and they were all ready to do what was needed.

" **Airen, keep the ship ready for if we need a quick getaway,"** Guida commanded. Airen saluted and returned to his seat. The trio exited the ship and started moving towards the strongest grouping of life-forms. As soon as they step onto the land the three of them all stop. They are thrown off by the complete silence and tranquillity of the place. Niku looks at the locator on his wrist and is about to lead the way because he is the only one wearing a locator. As he prepares to take a step Talia begins to move before him, but in the same direction.

Neither Guida or Niku say anything to her, but they see a questioning look on her face. She appears to not only be confused, but perhaps even scared. She starts walking faster, Guida and Niku move to keep up with her. Talia's walking has sped up and she definitely seems eager to discover what this is. She couldn't explain it, but she was feeling something. An energy, a power, and it was remarkable. It was subtle, but it was something big and something familiar. This wasn't Niha, she was sure of that, but it wasn't dissimilar. As she keeps moving she reaches for her swords and unsheathes one of them. Niku rushes to catch up to her.

" **What's going on, Talia?"** He asks, grabbing onto her shoulder and turning her around. Talia holds up her sword in a defensive manner and Niku takes a step back. Talia realises what she's doing and shakes it off. Niku looks down at her sword and notices the emblem glowing. **"What is happening?"**

" **I don't know, but I feel a power. It's huge,"** Talia explained, turning around and looking back in the direction of the power. **"I feel like I should know this power."**

" **The emblem is glowing, what could that mean?"** Guida asked, walking over to his allies. Talia looked to him and down at the sword again. She touched the emblem lightly. **"This is something Dark Blade related?"**

Talia looked back up at Guida and Niku and shrugged her shoulders. She was clearly not in the know and it didn't help getting all these questions.

" **We should probably get over there, quickly,"** Niku suggested. They continued on their way, but the question of what was happening was still up in the air. They would know soon.

* * *

Kuyato and Niha remained with the group of Namekians and awaited Sumur's return. Niha was still rather impatient and walked around twirling one of his swords. Kuyato was resting and waiting. He was eager to get the Dragon Balls and make his wishes, but he had waited long enough, a little longer wouldn't hurt him.

Sumur soon returned with all seven Dragon Balls with him. He lands down in front of Kuyato with the Dragon Balls landing in a neat pile on the ground. Niha walks over, looking Sumur up and down, and then at the Balls. Kuyato slowly approached them, a wide and worrying grin on his face. He starts laughing to himself, quietly.

" **Finally, I finally have them,"** Kuyato said to himself. Placing a hand on Niha's shoulder and smiling at his ally. **"You did well to find this Planet, this is going to be sweet."**

As Kuyato walked closer to Sumur the possessed Namekian went down to a knee and bowed his head.

" **Thank you, you have performed a great task and your universe will be proud of your efforts,"** Kuyato placed a hand on the Namekian's head. **"Summon the Dragon."**

" **No, don't do it Sumur!"** The elder Namekian yelled, stepping forward again, but Niha quickly knocked him back to the ground. Another young warrior Namekian helped him up and kept his gaze on the others.

" **Sumur, come back to us, brother,"** The young Namekian called out, but there was nothing left in Sumur's head. He had no love left for his species, for his family. Kuyato had taken him completely. Sumur stood up and looked to the sky.

He yelled up in Namekian, summoning forth the Dragon. The light shone from the seven balls and the sky blackened.

* * *

Still making their way to the energy, Talia, Guida and Niku noticed that something was wrong. The sky had gone dark above them and there was a new light shining in the sky ahead of them. They saw a beam of light shooting up from the ground and they knew they had to move quickly now. They rushed the rest of the way and arrived just as the Dragon, Porunga, began to take form. They were standing on a ridge that overlooked the small grouping of houses. It was down in the mini-canyon that they finally saw where the large ship had been hidden.

Talia instantly noticed the Dark Blades, with Niha among them, but that wasn't where Guida and Niku had focus. Talia looked to the two of them and then up where they were looking. She finally saw it in all of its glory. The Eternal Dragon, Porunga. They were all frozen in shock at the sight. They watched as a Namekian turned to face Niha and an old man. Talia had no idea who the old man was, but she felt like she should know him. Her senses were all over the place in that moment. This was the source of the energy.

" **Namekian, my first wish, return my body to its youth, to the prime of its life,"** Kuyato commanded. Sumur nodded and turned to the dragon, yelling out the wish. Another light flashed as the dragon's eyes shone red. A beam of light dropped down from the sky and struck Kuyato's body. There was a lot of energy emanating from Kuyato's body and everyone was blinded by the sight. Once the light did finally drop there was basically a new man standing there. He was about 7-foot tall, long, flowing silver hair. He had defined muscles, but appeared slim, and he had a very young face.

He looked down at Niha and over to the rest of the Namekians.

" **I haven't felt this good in decades,"** Kuyato said, laughing hysterically. **"I can feel my power flowing!"**

As he yelled a huge sparking red aura exploded around him and shook the entire planet. The Namekian's fell over and the trio up on the ridge had to drop down to avoid falling over the ridge. The power died down and everything was quiet. Porunga remained in the sky, awaiting the next wish.

" **My next wish, re-open the portal for the Blood-Bound Dark Blades,"** Kuyato commanded. Sumur nodded again and spoke the wish. Porunga's eyes flashed again, but it seems as if nothing more happens around them. Kuyato looks around and then to Sumur.

" **What happened?"** Niha asked, stepping forward.

" **The portal is open, but I wasn't specific enough, now we have to find it,"** Kuyato said, looking over to Niha. The master turned away and walked forward to Sumur again. **"Time for the final wish."**

Up on the ridge, the trio still hadn't moved, they were basically frozen with fear. Guida realised they weren't doing anything and stood up again.

" **We have to stop this, now,"** Guida said. Niku stood up, readying his rifle, but Talia was still frozen on the ground. Guida looked down at her and she seemed to be trembling. **"What's wrong, Talia?"**

" **He's… he's real? It's… It's…"** Talia could hardly get her words out and Guida couldn't hear her properly either way. She was muttering to herself and appeared to be very scared. Guida helped her up and turned her to face him.

" **Talia, what's going on?"** He asked her. She finally focussed and looked Guida in the eyes.

" **Niha was telling the truth… the true Master of the Dark Blades. The Destroyer of all,"** Talia turned around and looked down into the mini-canyon again. **"Kuyato is real…"**

" **Who's Kuyato?"** Guida asked.

" **That doesn't matter now, we need to stop this before it gets out of hand,"** Niku called out. He had his rifle aimed down and had Sumur in his sights. Sumur was the one speaking to the Dragon so he would be the one that they should go for right now. Niku didn't wait for an order, he just fired.

Down by the balls…

" **My last wish,"** Kuyato turned to Sumur and smiled, **"Immortality."**

Sumur nodded and turned back to the dragon, ready to make the wish. The words never came as a bolt of energy blasted right through Sumur's head and he fell to the ground, hard. Kuyato stepped back, surprised. He looked around to see where it came from, but noticed nothing.

" **Find whoever did that, NOW!"** Kuyato yelled out with power. His voice was almost enough to shake the planet and the hearts of all those Namekians. Niha readied his weapons and ordered some Dark Blades to search for the culprit. Kuyato looked down on Sumur's body and brushed it aside, using only the force of his energy. **"Useless. Now I need someone else to make the wish for me."**

The elder Namekian rushed forward and shouted up the Dragon quickly, making a wish. Kuyato didn't know what was being said and he was a little thrown off. He looked from the elder up to the Dragon as Porunga's eyes flashed again.

" **What did you say?!"** Kuyato yelled, walking towards the Namekian elder. The elder just glared at Kuyato as a massive crack sound was heard and a small wave of energy came from the balls. Kuyato shielded himself from the energy and looked down at the balls. All of them had cracked. **"No…"**

There was a shattering explosion and the balls were in pieces. Porunga disappeared and the clouds dissipated. Everyone stopped moving and looked up in the sky and then over to Kuyato.

He clenched his fists, his muscles tensed and he let out a low, guttural growl.

" **DAMN YOU!"** He screamed at the elder before lifting him up off of the air with the force of his energy and proceeded to rip his heart straight out of his body. The elder's body collapsed to the ground and Kuyato crushed the heart in the air.

The rest of the Dark Blades moved on with their job to find the shooter as the Namekian civilians started running away. Five Namekians stepped forward to block Kuyato from attacking anyone else and before the Dark Blades Master could do anything those five Namekians merged into one with a flash of light and shot straight towards Kuyato.

They are halted by Niha who flies in and knocks them back. Kuyato steps back as the fighting ensues and he starts to look around, trying to find the shooter. The thing that ruined his plan.

Up on the ridge, the trio were in cover, but a group of Dark Blades were closing in. Niku and Guida made an instant move, knowing that they shouldn't just sit back and ignore any of this. Guida jumped up, taking out his two pistols and started firing down on the warriors coming their way. Niku was up with his rifle, moving forward, but as he got closer to them he took his axe from his back and started using that. Talia managed to regain her confidence and jumped up with her swords out and her aura starting to glow.

Some of the Dark Blades warriors that were nearby and hadn't noticed what was going on were drawn to the power of yet another Dark Blade. They saw Talia, brandishing both her swords, and moved in to attack her.

" **Airen, bring the ship close!"** Guida called into his communicator before continuing to shoot at the warriors moving in. He had to get physical with a couple of them as they avoided the shots.

Kuyato looked up at the ridge and noticed the fighting happening and saw the ones who would have ruined his wishes, but something else caught his attention. The fleeing Namekians. Kuyato followed after them, slowly. They rushed inside their buildings, but that wasn't going to be good protection. Kuyato waved a hand and destroyed the buildings by blowing them away without killing any of the Namekians.

The survivors of this normally peaceful race looked up at Kuyato in fear as he stepped ever closer. Kuyato stopped a few feet away from them and had a smirk on his face. It looked like he wanted to say something, but to everyone's surprise he just lifted a hand, aiming it towards the Namekians and just swiped across them. There was a large explosion and all of those Namekians were wiped out in an instant. The rest of the fighting stopped as people looked towards the explosion. The fused Namekian turned around and yelled in anger, but was immediately hit by Yamo Niha, with their fight continuing.

Guida took this time to get through the Dark Blades closing around him, blasting through them and making a move right towards Yamo Niha. He hadn't forgotten their reason for coming here. Talia and Niku didn't notice this because they were too distracted by their opponents.

Niha was currently attacking down on the fused Namekian and knocking him to the ground. He was about to shoot him, but a light blast to his back knocked off his aim. Niha missed his shot and turned around only to be struck in the face by Guida. Niha fell back a little, but immediately ignited the thrusters on his back and shot right towards Guida, grabbing him by the throat and throwing him down into the ground.

He was about to turn around and go back to the Namekian, but the fused warrior was already back on his feet and knocking Niha in the ground. Niha rolled and flipped back to his feet, firing his blasters towards both of his opponents. The Namekian helped Guida to his feet and darted out of the way of the blaster fire. Guida pushed the Namekian off of him and turned back to face Niha.

" **Go and help my crew,"** Guida said to the Namekian, not even looking his way. **"This guy's mine."**

Without saying another word Guida ran back towards Niha ready to engage in some real combat. The Namekian stalls for a second, but then rushes off to help out the others. Guida rushed in, but Niha used his boosters to jump up and over Guida then charged in to attack from behind. Guida turned, managing to avoid contact and grabbed on to Niha's leg. This wasn't effective as all it did was take Guida off of his feet and throw him across the ground. Niha was a little thrown off by it, but managed to get his feet down and steady himself.

Guida jumped up, but before he could move an attack came in as Niha charged in and smashed a fist into Guida's face. Guida was knocked back, landing hard on the ground. Niha jumped forward and landed with a knee into Guida's gut and then pounded another fist into his face.

Talia and Niku wanted to try and help Guida, but they were too preoccupied by their opponents. Talia was defending well with her swords, but struggling to get the best openings to make some attacks. Niku was imposing his strength and size on his opponents, but there were too many of them. The fused Namekian wasn't having too much of a bad time, but he still had a lot of enemies to get through. Talia looked through her enemies to see Niha beating Guida.

Guida could barely get back to his feet or defend himself now. Niha was too strong. All those times Talia told them that it would be far too difficult to do alone or without a plan and she was right. This wasn't going well. Guida could likely lose his life in this battle. Talia and Niku were continuing to try and break through, but no luck.

Niha put his blaster against Guida's shoulder and shot right through it. Guida let out a cry of pain and Niha took out his sword. He held the blade against Guida's throat and prepared to end it. There wasn't too much time though. Airen finally arrived with the ship and had the weapons firing down on the Dark Blades. Talia and Niku finally had their opening and started to make a move towards Niha and Guida. Talia was leading the movement, rushing forward with both her swords out.

Niha looked up to see this and immediately went on a defensive. Talia leapt towards Niha and started smashing her swords down on him, but Niha's defence was very strong. Niku started to help Guida up to his feet as they watched most of the Dark Blades be shot down. There were still a few that needed to be dealt with, the fight wasn't over.

Kuyato started to look over the bodies of his fallen warriors. He was thoroughly disappointed by how part of this day had gone. He thought everything had been going so smoothly, but things changed for the worse and he just wasn't happy. He started to walk back towards the ship, this not going unnoticed by Guida.

But something else caught Guida's attention in that moment and it was seeing that Talia had been disarmed by Niha. Guida, even though he was injured, started rushing towards them to help out. He took out his pistol and was firing towards Niha as he prepared to attack Talia. The blaster shots were enough to draw Niha's attention and the armoured warrior shot right towards Guida.

" **I've had enough of you!"** Niha yelled as he grabbed Guida by the throat and slammed him down into the ground, starting to choke him. They were close by the ship the Dark Blades ship now. Guida could feel his breath running out and was starting to go very faint. Niku made a move to stop this from happening and fired his rifle towards them, missing his rushed shot, but grabbed Niha's attention. Niha turned around, but as he did Guida regained some energy and kicked out at Niha, almost tripping him, but the armoured Dark Blade didn't take kindly to this.

Niha reached down, grabbed Guida by the throat again and threw him towards the large Dark Blade ship. Guida bounced off the hull and hit the ground hard. Before Niha could move in for another attack Kuyato got his attention.

" **Niha, leave these fools. We need to retreat and find the portal,"** Kuyato commanded, stepping on the ramp up to the ship. Niha got to his feet and rushed over.

" **But Master, we can finish them,"** Niha said, not seeing any reason to just leave.

" **This is more urgent, don't question me,"** Kuyato replied, turning around. **"We need to regain our forces and prepare to head to Earth."**

Niha looked up at Kuyato.

" **The boy?"** Niha questioned. Kuyato turned around and smirked.

" **It's about time for the Saiyan trash to know true fear,"** Kuyato stated, chuckling to himself and walking on to the ship. Niha looked out over to the enemies they had been facing. Talia looked over to him and he looked back at her. The armoured warrior wasted no more time and boarded the ship and the ramp started to close.

Talia and Niku stood back and watched it happen, but were surprised to see Guida rush to his feet and jump up, grabbing on to the ramp.

" **Guida, what are you doing?"** Talia yelled, shocked. She and Niku both started to run off, but Guida got into the ship just as the ramp closed and the ship started to head off into the sky. The power of the boosters too much for them to withstand.

" **Airen, land the ship!"** Niku yelled into his communicator.

" **No, don't do it,"** another voice said back. It was Guida, using his own communicator.

" **What are you doing?"** Niku asked him, **"You can't beat them alone."**

" **I'm not planning to, I need to try and slow them down though,"** Guida explained, **"You need to do something for me."**

" **What? Where's this coming from?"** Niku enquired, needing a bit more information to go on.

" **They're planning to go to Earth once they have their army. They're after a Saiyan boy…"** Guida explained. Talia heard this and looked towards Niku.

" **Noca?"** Talia muttered. Niku looked to her and then up at the ship.

" **What shall we do then?"** Niku asked.

" **Head to Earth. Warn Noca and his allies,"** Guida explained, **"Do this and maybe we'll be able to stop him."**

" **But…"** Talia started, but was interrupted.

" **Don't question me. The more time you waste, the better their chances of succeeding. Head to Earth, now. Good luck."** With that, Guida's communicator disconnected and there was nothing else to be said. Talia and Niku looked to one another again and remained in silence as Kuyato's ship finally disappeared into the distance. Airen finally landed the ship near them and the duo started to walk towards it, but noticed the Namekian again. He was looking down on his fallen village. There weren't even any Namekian bodies left.

" **My whole race… gone,"** The Namekian said, falling to his knees. Niku walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

" **Yamo Niha and his Dark Blades have taken things from all of us. If you want to do your people proud you should join us in this fight,"** Niku said. The Namekian turned and looked up at the former soldier and nodded.

" **You're right,"** The Namekian stood up and held his hand out for Niku to shake. **"My name is Surto."**

Niku took his hand and shook.

" **I'm Niku and this is Talia,"** Niku motioned towards Talia and then looked towards her to see her standing there staring into the sky, in silence. She appeared to be in deep thought and Niku was unsure what to do right now. He turned and walked towards her.

" **I can't believe Niha was telling the truth all that time… there was a true leader for the Dark Blades and… and his power was far too much for any of us to handle…"** Talia started to explain, even getting tears in her eyes from the sheer fear she felt.

" **I think we'll find a way,"** Niku tried to reassure her, but Talia turned and scoffed.

" **You really think so? You can't sense energy. You didn't feel what I did,"** Talia walked past Niku, towards the ship. She boarded and went straight to the control room. Airen stood up. **"Airen, sit down and set a course for Earth. And make it quick!"**

Airen sat down immediately and started to punch in the controls.

" **The journey will take some time… I do not have a projected time for our arrival,"** Airen explained. Talia sat down in what had been Guida's seat and looked ahead.

" **Just go."**

Niku and Surto boarded quickly, taking any supplies they thought they needed from the Dark Blades bodies and luckily Talia was waiting for them before departing. The ship lifted off of the Namekian ground and blasted out into the atmosphere. They left behind the silence of the dead planet and shot off towards Earth. Their mission to have revenge and closure with Yamo Niha had opened up a new story. This was going to prove very complicated for everyone involved, but Noca had to be warned.

Talia, Guida, Niku, and Surto will all return…

* * *

 _So, there you have it, the eventful end to this arc which went on longer than I had ever planned. I hope this arc hasn't been too out there for my regular readers because I know that it doesn't seem extremely Dragon Ball in tone, but I had tried to experiment with a lot of new characters and situations because I intend to do more with this in the main arcs featuring the main characters, plus some of the characters introduced in this arc will be important later._

 _Let me know how you felt about this finale and arc. Are you looking forward to the next arc? Let me know in a review._

 _I will be taking a break while I plan and write the bulk of the next arc because it will also be a longer one. In case you don't remember what the next arc will be... it is The World Martial Arts Tournament! That's right! If you thought this arc was missing a lot of that Dragon Ball charm, the next one should be full of it!_

 _Until then!_

 _Next Time... Arc VII: The World Martial Arts Tournament - Chapter 36: Untitled_


	36. Arc VII: Everyone's Here

_**Arc VII: The World Martial Arts Tournament**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 36: Everyone's Here**_

 _Sunday 17_ _th_ _July Age 797_

After months and months of arduous training, and solid commitment, Noca and friends were finally making their way to Papaya Island, down south. They were prepared to participate in the 30th World Martial Arts Tournament. An exciting competition that the whole world would witness. There were a lot of people travelling down to the south this time, so there were plans to use one of the Capsule houses to make sure everyone could fit. There would be a headcount upon arrival to make sure everyone was there.

Upon arrival at the island the group immediately headed to the Capsule house and put a message out to the rest of their friends to let them know where they would be. Everyone who had signed up for this tournament would get a chance to fight thanks to the new rules. The preliminary round coming back was a good idea. This meant that fighters who hadn't competed for a while had found the time and effort to train and come back for this event.

Noca, Pan, and Holline were all competing this time, again. Gohan, Goten and Trunks would all be competing. Of course, Vegeta was there. The big surprise from the main group was that Krillin was planning to fight. The whole thing with Freeza had given him some new confidence and he thought he would at least show up for the preliminaries.

While everyone was setting up at the Capsule house and choosing their rooms Noca, Pan and co. decided to hang out together up in one of the larger rooms. It was here that Noca made a decision.

" **Pan, I think we should stay in separate rooms during the tournament,"** Noca suggested. Pan was surprised, as were their friends, but she smirked and nodded.

" **Of course, we don't want any distractions, especially if we have to fight each other,"** Pan agreed. Noca looked up at her and smirked back. **"So, I'll share with Bra."**

Bra turned and looked to Pan with a pout.

" **I can't even share with my boyfriend?"** She questioned, in a little bit of a huff, but it was all in good fun. Noca looked to Dom and noticed he was going a little red.

" **Dom and I will share a room,"** Noca suggested, patting his friend on the shoulder.

The group continued to hang out together, mainly because there wasn't anything that actually needed to be done for the rest of the day, the preliminaries didn't start until the following day. So, this was actually a rest day. Nobody wanted to be travelling and fighting on the same day. It was about Two in the afternoon when Holline received a phone-call. It was from her Mother. Her family had come to Papaya island to see her compete and wanted to meet up with her that afternoon.

" **I didn't expect them to come along,"** Holline seemed to be quite nervous about it, but she shakes it off and looks to Noca. **"You're coming with me, right?"**

" **Um…"** Noca was taken by surprise, **"I'm sure they want to spend some time with you, but if you don't want to go alone, I would suggest taking Kiera."**

" **Yeah,"** Pan agreed, **"They haven't met her yet, right?"**

Holline went a little red, as did Kiera. It didn't take long for the rest to realise why the two would be nervous about doing this together.

" **You said your family knew, right?"** Noca said, trying to get a read on Holline as she looked to the ground.

" **They do… it's just, I don't really know what they think,"** Holline replied, she looked up at Kiera and smiled weakly. **"It's not that I'm worried they'll be disappointed or anything, you guys understand, right?"**

Noca smirked and sat next to Holline. He put his arm around her.

" **I know your family, I'm basically a part of it,"** Noca said with a chuckle, **"So, I know they're not going to judge any decision you make in life."**

Holline nodded and stood up. She walked over to Kiera and put her hand out for the blonde to take.

" **Come on, Kiera. I want you to meet my family,"** Holline stated, in a serious and formal manner.

" **And hey, if you want, Pan and I can come along too,"** Noca said, standing up again. **"I'm sure they'll be happy to see I'm still alive."**

" **Cool, that'll be good,"** the red-head said with a smile.

Noca, Holline and their significant others would go to meet with Holline's family while Bra and Dom would stay behind. They decided it would be best not to all go to what would really be a family thing for Holline. Noca was just there for moral support really, and he may as well take Pan with him so they can spend some time together too.

* * *

The group of four headed into the town, which was bubbling with anticipation. This tournament had got everyone in the mood, and despite the number of dangerous things that had happened at previous tournaments, everyone was still excited. It was an important tradition that would never die.

Holline had agreed to meet her family at the hotel they were planning to stay at, even though Holline planned to invite them to the Capsule house. It was Bra's suggestion. The red-head was extremely nervous for her family to meet Kiera and as much as Kiera wanted to support her girlfriend and tell her it would be ok, she was nervous too. Noca and Pan had to be the moral support for both of them.

As the group approached the hotel the nerves were definitely high within both girls. Pan and Noca could sense it, but they assured the girls that it would be fine. Their support was enough for them to keep on. They entered the lobby of the hotel and before they had even got a few feet inside Holline's name was already being called out. All four turned to see two people stand and walk over to them. There was a woman with dark red hair, similar to Holline's, but much darker. That was Holline's mother. The other person was Holline's grand-father. He had white hair and walked with a cane. He also had a bit of a hump. And a moustache.

" **Mom, Grandpa!"** Holline said with happiness, as she rushed to embrace them. **"I'm so happy you two could come all the way here to cheer me on, but you didn't need to."**

" **Nonsense, young lady. We missed the last time you fought and we won't miss it this time,"** Her mother said before hugging her tightly again. **"I've missed you."**

" **Mom… I can't breathe…"** Holline struggled to break out of her mother's embrace, but subconsciously she didn't want to break free. She did get free eventually and chuckled with her mother.

" **It's good to see my little grand-daughter, you've grown so much,"** Holline's grand-father said with a smile, **"And you too, Noca."**

It took Holline's mother a moment to notice, but she soon recognised Noca and was taken aback.

" **Oh, my word, is that really you, Noca? You look so much older,"** Holline's mother said as she pulled Noca into a hug. **"It really has been far too long."**

" **It's good to see you,"** Noca said as he hugged back, with a smile on his face. The hug broke and Noca motioned to Pan. **"This is my girlfriend, Pan."**

Pan said hello to Holline's mother and even got a hug too. It was just Kiera's turn now and suddenly she seemed to find a little confidence and stepped forward in a formal manner. She cleared her throat and held her hand out.

" **Hello, I'm Kiera,"** She cleared her throat again, **"Holline's girlfriend."**

Holline's mother looked at Kiera's hand and up at the blonde. She smiled and some tears came to her eyes. She pulled Kiera into a hug and held her tight.

" **It's so good to finally meet you. Holline has told me all about you,"** She pulled back and looked the blonde in the eyes. **"There's no need to be so formal. You're a part of our family."**

" **Thank you…"** Kiera said, tears coming to her eyes now. Both looked to Holline, who also had tears in her eyes and the three hugged one another. It seemed like it would last forever until Noca heard a recognisable voice.

" **Who's going to hug me?"** The voice said, confidently, and almost in a monotone and emotionless manner. Noca turned to see Android #17. **"Hello, Noca."**

" **Wow, didn't expect to see you here,"** Noca shook #17's hand. They all said hello to one another again. Turns out #17 was competing in the tournament too. He was originally invited along with Holline's family, but he decided that he would take the time to have some fun and fight. It had been some time for him. He even said he had told #18 he would be there and would spend some time with them.

That's when Holline suggested them stay at the Capsule house. They agreed and that was settled, but Holline's mother wanted them to go out for a meal together. Holline and Kiera agreed to it, but Noca and Pan said they were planning to spend some time together, plus they should let the family have their time together. #17 would head to the Capsule house and see his sister and his recently married Niece. Before Noca and Pan planned to have some alone time, they went back to the house with #17.

* * *

The trio approached the Capsule house and spotted three more people standing outside the building. One of them was Krillin, and he appeared to be speaking with two travellers. They had big bags on their backs and looked like they had come a long way. One of the two strangers were bald, like Krillin (yes, he maintained the look). The other appeared to be a teenager. His hair was tied back, but it was shaved all along the sides, almost like it would be a Mohawk, if styled that way. They both wore the same logo. #17 seemed to make a slight sound of surprise as they approached the front of the building.

Krillin noticed them and looked past the two strangers over to the group. He began to wave, almost excitedly. That's when the two strangers turned to face the others and Noca noticed the tall bald man had a third eye in the middle of his forehead.

" **#17! I'm so happy you're here, #18 and Marron are excited to see you,"** Krillin said, excitedly as he hugged his Brother-in-law. #17 did seem a little taken aback by this.

" **Yeah, hey... bro?"** #17 wasn't too sure what to say, he looked over to Noca who just smirked. Krillin broke the hug and pointed to the three-eyed man.

" **You remember Tien, right?"** Krillin asked. #17 nodded and smirked. He held out a hand and shook the man's hand, they greeted one another, although seemed wary of each other. Krillin then noticed Noca and Pan were still standing there. **"Oh, of course, you haven't met. Noca, this is Tien. He used to fight alongside me, Goku and the group all the time, years ago."**

Noca held out a hand to shake Tien's.

" **Great to meet you,"** Noca said politely. Tien took Noca's hand.

" **Likewise. And you are?"** The three-eyed fighter asked, not really sure on who he was greeting.

" **I'm Noca. Uh… Vegeta's cousin,"** Noca answered, smirking. Tien's brow furrowed and Noca remembered Vegeta's past. **"It's a long story."**

" **I can imagine it is,"** Tien said and then turned to face Pan, he appeared to recognise her. **"Wow, you must be Gohan's kid. You're definitely bigger than the last time I saw you."**

" **We've met?"** Pan asked.

" **A long time ago now, you were just a baby. You won't remember,"** Tien answered, smirking. **"But I sense a great deal of power within both of you, you must have had some great training. I assume Gohan's been training you."**

" **Me, yes,"** Pan answered, **"But Noca, well he has a long history of training."**

Tien looked at Noca as he was shuffling a little, even chuckling.

" **Well, I first trained with people in my village, not a lot though. Then #17 taught me for a little bit before I met Gohan, then I went and trained with Goku for a little bit… now I train with Vegeta all the time,"** Noca explained. Tien nodded, awkwardly and then turned to Krillin.

" **I guess we have a strong young man here, then,"** Tien said, as he motioned to the teenager by his side. **"This is my pupil, Torai."**

" **Nice to meet you,"** Torai said, bowing to Noca and Pan. Noca nodded to the young student. **"I'm competing too."**

This got Krillin's attention.

" **Too? Tien, are you taking part?"** Krillin asked his old friend. Tien looked down and nodded.

" **Of course, I need to check out my student's progress, if I get that chance,"** He answered, **"Plus it will be like reliving the old days."**

Noca and Pan both realised that this was a conversation between old friends and decided they were going to head inside and leave them too it. They were getting hungry and also wanted to get in a little bit of light training with each other before the start of the tournament. They were planning to meditate together until dinner though.

The two of them asked for some privacy and that only spurned a few jokes from some of their friends and family, specifically Goten and Trunks, but the young couple just ignored the jokes and went about their meditation training like they had planned. They went to the room that Noca and Dom would be sharing and sat on the floor in front of each other. They crossed their legs and closed their eyes. Clearing their minds of all fears and concerns ahead of this tournament was a good idea. Neither of them wanted to dwell on the events of the last tournament. That had been a week to forget for many reasons.

Any thoughts were pushed from the minds of these two young fighters. They focussed on the only thing that mattered in this moment: their own inner peace. It was something they needed to channel if they could have true focus throughout the tournament. Any distractions would have an effect on both of them. In this moment, even though they had pushed thoughts and feelings from their minds, they were entwined. Their aura had become one and their energy was moulding together and thriving. They were both feeling the effects of each other's meditative states.

This could have had something to do with the fact they were in a relationship, or that they were both Saiyans, or maybe it was something else entirely. Whatever it was, a connection was visible within their mind's eye. A strong connection that mattered, a connection with intense power.

Something else intense… a Saiyan's hunger. Noca knew they were coming to the end of their meditation, it had been a couple of hours after all. Yes, a couple of hours. Noca opened his eyes, as did Pan, and they were brought back to the now. Noca smirked and stood up.

" **Food time,"** He said with a childish grin on his face. Pan shook her head. He held a hand out to help her up. She took it and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Noca blinked and smiled as she walked out of the room.

* * *

Dinner was great. It always was. Never a bad meal around these parts. Noca and Pan decided that they actually wanted to spend some time together that wasn't related to their training or meditation or anything like that. They wanted it to just be the two of them, chilling out together. So, they decided to go out for a walk in the town.

They just spent most of the time looking at the markets that had been set up in preparation for the tournament, taking a look at a lot of the Mr Satan merchandise, no matter how crappy it appeared to be. Considering they had their Saiyan appetites, they even tried some of the different and exotic food that was being served at some of the stalls. There was so much going on and it was crazy, but that was only part of the evening. Noca decided to take Pan to the nearby park. Somewhere they could go for a walk, in silence, away from the hectic crowds and crazy people. Just tranquillity.

The park wasn't big, but it was very nice. A nice narrow path that was almost hidden by the large trees. There was a little stream that ran through the park and it led into a larger opening of water, kind of like a lake, but much smaller. There was a bench looking over it though. Noca and Pan sat down at this bench and looked over the water. It was peaceful. The trees managed to block out quite a bit of the slowly setting sun. There was still some light shining through the gaps and it danced across the water.

Noca put his arm around Pan and she leaned into him, and they sat there, comfortably. They felt snuggled up and protected in each other's company. Pan closed her eyes as she lay her head on Noca. Noca looked down at his girlfriend and smiled to himself as he gently ran his fingers up and down her arm, just feeling her soft skin. This was comfort. This was peace. In that moment, Noca just pictured the kind of future that the two of them could have.

" **I love you,"** Noca said, out of the blue. Pan reacted and looked up and her boyfriend. She smiled at him looking down at her. **"I really do."**

" **I love you too,"** She replied, moving up and kissing him on the lips. It was only going to be a quick kiss, but both of them fell into the moment and the kiss lingered a little longer. They moved into it and found themselves enjoy it a bit too much. They broke the kiss and both instinctively looked around them to make sure they weren't being watched by anyone. They were in the clear, but both knew it wasn't right to be getting too into it in public. Sure, it had only been a kiss, but neither of them could deny they wanted more.

They looked at each other in silence for a minute or so and then Pan chuckled.

" **No, we shouldn't,"** Pan said and turned her head away, looking over the water. **"I think we should wait until after the tournament."**

" **Any reason why?"** Noca asked.

" **You can wait that long, right?"** She replied, almost in a teasing manner. **"Your instincts aren't that strong, are they?"**

Pan was teasing him and Noca knew that. He just smirked and looked over the water.

" **Of course, I can wait,"** He answered, before chuckling, **"But can you?"**

Pan hit him playfully and stood up, grabbing his hand and dragging him to his feet.

" **Yes. I can. Now we should be heading back,"** Pan said as she continued to drag him along, but Noca just stopped, turning Pan around and pulling her towards him. He kissed her on the lips again, and it was almost as passionate as when they were sitting on the bench. They broke the kiss and looked each other in the eyes. Pan seemed a little flustered.

" **Fine. After the tournament,"** Noca agreed. He was amused by how flustered that kiss had made her. She just hit him again, harder, actually causing Noca to wince a little, but he just laughed it off as they walked off up the path again. They knew it would be important to get an early night before the preliminaries the next day. They didn't know how long those fights might take. They better get their rest.

* * *

 _So, there it is. My first chapter in over 7 months! Sorry I have been away for so long, but life is is really busy. I've still been working hard at writing as much as I can though and I have quite a few chapters in reserve for regular uploads. But, uploads will no longer be weekly, they will be bi-weekly so that I can spread them out more._

 _I hope you enjoyed the start to this arc. Sure, there was no action, but the rest of it is coming! And I look forward to continuing uploads._

 _Drop a review if you feel like it!_

 _Thanks for reading._

 ** _Next Time... Chapter 37: Old Friends and Loose Ends_**


	37. Arc VII: Old Friends and Loose Ends

_**Chapter 37: Old Friends and Loose Ends**_

 _Monday 18_ _th_ _July Age 797_

All fighters were required to arrive at the Arena before Nine in the morning, and so they did. All Sixty-Four of them were there, ready to get things underway. The only people that would be spectating today's matches were the fighters themselves, and the referees. This round was closed to the public, but so not to lose any sort of revenue or publicity, it would be streamed live on the official WMAT website. Exciting times.

The draw for the preliminary round had been done overnight, so the competitors would have no idea who they were facing until they saw the board go up. There was a large group of fighters hoping they wouldn't have to come up against one another this early on, that would be doing the crowd a disservice. They would miss out on some solid fighting.

While they waited for the board to go up, Noca, Pan and Holline scouted over the rest of the group to see who had shown up to fight, and if they recognised anyone. Tien was there with Torai. Uub had entered, of course. He had come with Majin Buu. Pan had to stop herself from making a scene when she noticed that Bra's ex-boyfriend Kareshi was there. Noca made sure to keep her back, even though he would love to get at him, show him what for… again. Noca also noticed that Billy was there too, another guy that went to his school. He and Kareshi seemed to be friendly to one another, so there was that. They weren't going to be any sort of worry though.

Other than those, there weren't any other familiar faces in the crowd. A lot of newbies this time around, but they all looked raring to go. There appeared to be a young couple standing together, trying to get each other pumped up and ready. A group of three stood far from the rest, the youngest of the group, a teenage boy, seemed to be really nervous, but the other two he was with seemed to hold themselves. A myriad of people had shown up for this World-famous competition.

It was a little past nine-fifteen when Mr Satan and the Announcer stepped out, ready to reveal the preliminary fights.

" **Welcome to the 30** **th** **World Martial Arts Tournament!"** The announcer called out, a smile on his face. **"I'm so happy to see a huge turn-out. All of you fighters look like you are itching to get going and I know you'll put on a great show for everyone watching."**

" **Before we get started, I wanted to say a few words,"** Mr Satan said, standing up to the microphone and looking over the crowd. There were a few cheers from some of the fighters who may have idolised Mr Satan, and still believed in him as their hero, even though it was a very long time ago now. **"I just wanted to say, give it your all and make this your moment!"**

Everyone clapped at that, aside from people like Vegeta. Majin Buu was cheering with happiness at Mr Satan's enthusiasm. He still harboured a lot of love and care for his old human friend. The announcer stepped up again.

" **If you would turn your attentions to the big screen, you will see the complete draw."**

Everyone looked up at the screen as the screen popped up and everyone saw who their first opponent would be.

" **Oh wow, I'm up against Kareshi,"** Pan said, cracking her knuckles and looking over at him. Kareshi was looking her way, but quickly looked away again. Pan chuckled and looked to Noca. **"Who you got?"**

" **#17,"** Noca said, a smirk on his face. **"That could be interesting."**

" **Yeah, and if you beat him and I win my fight, you're up against me,"** A voice said from behind. Noca turned to see it was Gohan.

" **That's actually a bit of a shame, one of us won't make it to the final Sixteen,"** Noca said, seeming a little disappointed.

" **Well, we'll both have to give it our all then,"** Gohan said, patting Noca on the back and walking off chuckling.

" **Holline, who you against?"** Noca asked his red-head friend.

" **Some girl called Josie,"** she said as she looked around to try and spot who it might be. **"I hope I get a challenge."**

" **I'm sure you'll do great no matter who it is,"** Noca assured her, his attention was soon gripped by Pan again. **"What is it?"**

" **Uub is up against Buu, and Krillin versus Tien,"** Pan said. Noca smirked and looked around at everyone again. **"This really is going to be interesting."**

As everyone gathered and spoke to each other about the draw and who they would be fighting the announcer stepped out and grabbed all of their attentions again. He informed them that the fights would all essentially happen at the same time on smaller stages. Some indoors and some outdoors in the main area. This was so they could work through this round and bring it down to the main sixteen rather quickly. Even though Round One wouldn't take place until the next day. The fights would begin at Ten o'clock. Everyone had about half an hour to prepare, and they all knew they would need that time, so they used it wisely.

Noca went to Vegeta for some last-minute confidence boosting, even though that wasn't what Vegeta was good at. The Prince seemed to be pretty disinterested at this tournament and was stood away at the wall alone. He just wanted a big challenge and he knew he wasn't getting it until the main tournament started. He knew he would get to the last sixteen and was just waiting for that moment.

" **Yo, Vegeta, what do you think about the draw?"**

" **Good to see that you have a challenge today. Both #17 and Gohan, you better be at your best if you want to beat them both. You can't let your focus slip,"** Vegeta said. Harsh and straight to the point, as Vegeta always was.

" **Thanks. I won't let you down, boss,"** Noca did a fake salute as he walked away chuckling to himself. His confidence wasn't an issue, that was for sure. Vegeta watched as Noca walked off.

" _ **I want to see great things from you at this tournament, boy,"**_ Vegeta thought to himself as he closed his eyes and went back to waiting.

As Noca was wandering back to Pan so he could kill a bit more time before his fight with #17, he bumped into Uub. Literally. It was a complete accident on Noca's part, but he bumped into him, nonetheless.

" **Oops, sorry… oh Uub, it's you,"** Noca settled his balance and put a hand out to make sure Uub was alright. **"You good? Haven't see you in some time."**

" **I'm fine,"** Uub said, rather bluntly. Noca didn't seem to pick up on the tone and just smiled and patted him on the back.

" **Good luck, hope we get a rematch,"** Noca said as he walked off. Uub nodded and walked off to do his own thing. Noca started to pick up on something a bit strange with him, but ignored it. It wasn't important enough to get caught up with right now. The fights would be starting soon and Noca wanted to ensure he was ready to get it over and done with quickly. He wanted #17 to see the amazing progress he had made. Before he could get on with his fight though, Noca went up to Pan. She wasn't facing him as she and Holline were chatting and looking into the crowd, so Pan was unaware of Noca's approach.

He took her by the waist and spun her around to face him. He kissed her on the forehead and put an arm around her. **"Just wanted to say good luck to you,"** He said, smiling.

" **I don't need luck,"** Pan said, removing his arm from around her and putting it back by his side. **"And I certainly don't need your distractions."**

She hit him on the arm and turned away, pouting, but it was all a joke really. Holline shook her head with a smirk on her face and looked away too.

" **Well… ok,"** Noca said. He stood staring at Pan and could tell she was looking at him out of the corner of her eye, but she was trying her best not to. Noca got closer, still smiling.

" **Would you stop it,"** Pan said, unable to keep control. She pushed him back, causing Noca to laugh at her failure to ignore him. **"What's gotten into you?"**

" **Nothing, I'm just looking forward to this tournament. That's all,"** Noca said, as he looked up at the clock. **"Nearly time. I better go to my stage. See you girls later."**

Noca waved and walked off to go and get ready for his fight, leaving the two girls alone. They needed to go off too. Their fights would be starting and Pan needed to ensure that she was calm for the fight with Kareshi. Luckily, she was in a good mood thanks to Noca. Holline left her as she had to head in the same direction as Noca.

She caught up to Noca and grabbed his shoulder.

" **Hey, what was all that about just then?"** Holline asked her oldest friend. Noca just scoffed, but his smirk faded a bit.

" **Pan was just as angry as I was with the whole thing with Kareshi. I wanted to ensure that her mind was full of positive thoughts before going up against him,"** Noca explained. Holline didn't get it right away.

" **But Pan was never going to have a hard time in that fight…"** Holline said, not making sense of Noca's point.

" **I know, but I also don't want Pan to do any real damage to him,"** Noca continued. Holline seemed to get it then. The realisation was on her face as she nodded. **"Now you get it? It's not in Pan's nature to cause anyone too much pain, so I didn't want that to be on the forefront of her mind before she went up there."**

" **You're a good boyfriend, you know that?"** Holline said, hitting him on the arm. Noca smirked and motioned towards one of the stages. Holline turned and noticed it was where she would be fighting. **"Oh yeah… that's me. Good luck with #17."**

" **Good luck to you too,"** Noca said to his friend as they parted ways and went to their respective stages. It was time.

Noca made it to his stage and saw that #17 was already there. He was just standing there, arms folded, facing straight ahead of him. He was ready to go whenever, due to being part android. He was wearing some sort of green sweater with some black gloves and some blue trousers. It seemed like casual wear, not fighting clothes. Noca was wearing his blue Gi with the black belt and wristbands. He stepped up to the stage and was now standing about ten feet in front of #17. The android smirked and dropped his arms.

" **Ready?"** #17 asked, getting straight to the point. No small talk here. Noca scoffed and cracked his neck, taking a quick break and moved into his stance.

" **Ready,"** the Saiyan uttered. #17 nodded. They waited for the referee to give them the signal.

*DING*

Both leapt forward at the same time, clashing and bouncing back immediately. They landed for less than a second before pouncing forward again. This time Noca put more strength into going forward, driving a fist towards #17's face. The android ducked down and kicked up, catching Noca in the gut. The Saiyan used the momentum from #17's kick to lift himself over and land down on his feet. He swivelled around and went with a kick for the android's side, but #17 caught Noca's leg and twisted him. Noca was off the ground and #17 jumped up and went to throw Noca down on the ground. Noca used his Ki to take control again and instead, #17 was the one crashing into the stage.

He jumped up quickly and backed to the edge of the ring, giving himself space. Noca stopped and stood facing #17. A smirk crawled across the Saiyan's face. #17 scoffed.

" **I think you've improved over the years,"** he said, clearly impressed.

" **You're not surprised about that, are you?"** Noca questioned, amused. #17 shook his head and clenched his fists. The android didn't have another word to say and charged forward again. He threw a few punches, but Noca avoided them with ease. Noca starts to smirk, seeing how #17 is struggling to land a hit. The android saw that look and started to put more in. He wasn't about to be upstaged by a kid, even if he was a Saiyan.

#17 dropped down and attempted to swipe Noca's legs out from under him. The young Saiyan jumped up to avoid it, but #17 used this moment. He rolled forward just as Noca touched down and he kicked back, managing to cause Noca to lose his footing as he landed and this sent him falling back. Noca managed to get his hands down and pushed himself back up and landed again, but as he did #17 came charging in. Noca grabbed both of the android's arms and held him back, but #17 was putting in some good work. He used his strength to pull Noca's arms to the side and then sent his head into Noca's face.

Noca grunted, but didn't let up in trying to hold #17 back. He wasn't going to be overpowered that easily. Noca sent his own head forward and connected with #17's face. The android pulled his head back and grunted too, but he started chuckling. He slowly looked back at Noca and started to push more of his strength onto the Saiyan. Noca could feel one of his feet slipping a little, but not enough to worry about it. He kept his feet planted, and remained strong. #17, still pushing, opened his hands and sent an energy blast towards Noca's face. Noca had to move his head out of the way of it, but as he did it affected his concentration slightly and #17 gained another upper hand.

Noca let his grip on #17's arms slip a little and that gave the android a chance to get free. Noca realised the mistake he made and was about to move into an attack, but #17 reacted quicker and got a flat-footed kick away, striking Noca in the chest and knocking him back. Noca used his Ki to stop himself before going too far and charged back in, dropping towards #17. The android prepared to block a hit, but Noca phased quickly and kicked #17 in the head. The android rolled away, but Noca dropped in with a punch aimed down. #17 was struck in the side of the face and dropped to his knees, but as he did Noca kicked him in the face knocking him up. Noca twisted and landed his own kick in #17's chest, knocking the android back again.

#17 managed to steady himself and stood still. Noca remained still too. They both stood eyeing the other up. Noca smirked, but #17 realised he would have to take things a lot more seriously if he actually wanted to compete. Noca wasn't even going Super Saiyan and was causing him so many issues. Noca wasn't breaking a sweat, but he also wasn't taking this too seriously. #17 wasn't either, but Noca had much more in terms of reserves. The android took a breath and closed his eyes. He stood still with his arms by his side. Noca watched, making sure that he didn't try to pull anything too clever.

#17 opened his eyes and ran towards Noca. He wasn't using his energy to boost his pace, he was just running at a normal speed. Noca stood there waiting to see what would happen. As #17 got closer he prepared to throw a punch, at the last second Noca phased, avoiding the punch and prepared an attack from behind. He appeared in position, but #17 was too quick this time. He turned around and blasted Noca at point blank range. The blast exploded and filled the air with smoke, covering the entire stage.

When it dissipated, Noca and #17 were revealed, standing there, face to face. Neither of them looked like they had been injured by that attack. #17 smirked and chuckled.

" **I knew you'd get stronger, but this is something else,"** #17 said. Noca scoffed. **"I guess I should give it my all?"**

#17 moved and tried to strike Noca in the face, but the Saiyan simply grabbed the android's arm and twisted it around behind his back. #17 grunted as Noca pulled on the arm a little and made sure to hold #17 tight in position so any movement would be painful. #17 was actually a little surprised by this approach from Noca. This wouldn't be too easier to get out of. Noca's grip was too tight, if the android did anything to knock Noca away then it could likely end with his arm breaking, and he didn't want that.

The android had to think of something, and quickly. Noca didn't appear to want to give him that chance though. The grip tightened and #17 could feel a shift in the Saiyan's positioning. The android tried to get a better read on the movement and see if he could make something of it, but that wouldn't be too easy. Noca turned #17 around quickly and pushed a lot of force into the next move he did. He put his hand out, flat into #17's chest and knocked the android off of his feet, but it was done with such raw energy and pace that it knocked #17 all the way out off of the stage. The android hit the floor, on his back, and stayed there. He just stared up at the open sky.

Noca stepped down off of the stage and walked over to #17. The android started laughing as he sat up and looked at the young Saiyan.

" **Didn't even give me a chance there,"** #17 said, standing up. Noca chuckled.

" **I was trained to take my fights seriously, I could have ended it earlier, but I guess I let my instincts get the better of me for a second,"** Noca explained, **"Plus I wanted to see if you would actually pose some sort of challenge."**

The two of them laughed together. #17 was going to stick around for the rest of the tournament now that he had been disqualified. He said he wanted to spend some more time with his sister before heading back to see his family. That's right! Turns out #17 had a family now. He had settled into the village where Holline had come from and met a woman, with whom he now had a child. Noca was surprised by that development, but #17 was an old friend, so he was obviously happy for him.

* * *

While Noca was fighting with #17 there were other fights happening. Pan was coming up against Kareshi in what would be a fight filled to the brim with emotion for the young lady. She had a lot of reason to be angry with Kareshi and hate him, but she knew that her Father had instilled a lot of patience and control in her when they were training. She had been known to fly off the handle when angry before, but now she had learned restraint. Plus, Noca going out of his way to make Pan feel really upbeat and special before the fight had put her in too good a mood. She wasn't prepared to let anything spoil that mood.

She planned to end the fight as quickly as she possibly could. Pan stepped up onto the stage and closed her eyes, aiming to concentrate her emotions and put them to good use rather than letting them fuel her moves in this fight. She used this time to get a read on Kareshi and his power level. She was pleasantly surprised that when compared to hers it felt like nothing. She opened her eyes with a smirk on her face.

Kareshi was standing there with his own amused expression.

" **I was hoping for a challenge in this tournament, and I'm up against you,"** Kareshi said, laughing out loud. Pan's smile faded and she shook her head. Kareshi continued laughing. **"I mean, I don't want to hurt a girl."**

" **That would be a first,"** Pan said, not taking the time to think about what she was going to say. She silently cursed herself for engaging.

" **What's that supposed to mean?"** Kareshi asked. Pan looked down took a breath and thought about how bad Bra had been and how the girl hadn't been able to face her best friend because of what had happened.

" **You're a pathetic excuse for a human being,"** Pan said, finally composing herself. Sure, she didn't want to engage, but the fight hadn't started yet. She didn't know what would happen once she was given the chance to actually hit him. She would have to be very careful not to cause too much pain or damage. Pan looked to the referee and nodded. Kareshi did the same.

Pan took the bit of cloth she had tied around her right wrist and tied it around her head. It was Noca's old head-band that she had used to tie her hair back in the past, but since she had her hair cut shorter it wasn't needed. The headband was just so she could keep a part of Noca with her while she fought. Kareshi scoffed and moved into a stance. Pan looked over the stance and noticed that there was something resembling technique there. He had actually been training. She was impressed that some effort had gone into this one short fight. Pan clenched her fists and moved into her own stance.

The referee gave them the go ahead and Kareshi beckoned for Pan to make the first move. The girl shook her head and moved forward with intense pace. Stopping short of punching Kareshi in the face. He stumbled back as a result of flinching from Pan's movement. He had not expected that. He shook it off and attempted to hit at Pan, but she simply swatted his arm away and backhanded him across the face. Kareshi stumbled to the left and turned around, attempted to punch her in the face. She ducked underneath him and delivered a simple punch to his gut. Kareshi let out a small cry of pain and dropped to one knee.

Pan, of course, wasn't using a lot of power here, Kareshi just wasn't used to fight someone this naturally strong. He groaned as he stood up and tried to stay strong in his stance. Pan just looked him dead in the eyes and flipped back, kicking up into Kareshi's chin as she did. That kick caused him to stumble back. When Pan got back to her feet she charged forward and delivered a punch to his gut again. Kareshi balled up and dropped to both knees. He started coughing, clearly feeling the pain.

She looked at Kareshi and realised he wasn't going to cause her any sort of trouble, nor was he going to make this fight entertaining in any way.

" **Hey, look at me,"** Pan said down to him as she stood over him. Kareshi slowly looked up to Pan giving him a glare. **"This is for hurting Bra."**

Pan delivered one punch to Kareshi's face and knocked him out. His body went flat on the stage and he was completely out. Pan cracked her knuckles and walked off of the stage. A medic came and removed Kareshi from the stage. He was going to be fine. Pan hadn't hit him too hard. Just enough to knock him out.

She was pleased with how she handled the situation and was ready for her next fight, which she hoped would be easy enough so she could get to the last 16 and then experience the real challenge.

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Finally getting some action in there, even if it wasn't on a large scale. This tournament is going to get more intense as it goes along._

 _Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and has a happy new year! I'll be back with the next chapter in 2019!_

 _If you have anything to say or ask, drop a review or even PM me. I'm always open for a chat. Thank you._

 _Next Time... Chapter 38: Thin the Herd_


	38. Arc VII: Thin the Herd

_**Chapter 38: Thin the Herd**_

While Pan fought Kareshi and Noca went up against #17, Krillin and Tien were preparing for their first fight in what felt like eternity. The two bald men stood on the stage ahead of each other and both wore serious expressions. They knew this wasn't a fight that would rival that of the Saiyans, but this was a big deal for both of them. Old friends, fighting together once again.

" **You better not go easy on me, Tien."**

The three-eyed man nodded towards his short friend and moved into a stance. Krillin moved into his own stance and smirked.

" **You know, this feels just like old times,"** Krillin said, Tien smiled back and nodded in agreement. Both of them looked to the referee and nodded together. They were given their go ahead and both reacted right away. They charged into the centre and went for it. Tien started by attempting to jab at Krillin. The short man dodged the arms and twisted while jumping to try and land a kick to Tien's head. The three-eyed man ducked forward and turned around to attempt a punch to Krillin's back, but the smaller bald man twisted again and knocked Tien's arm away, giving himself a knew opening. Krillin punched Tien in the chest, Tien stepped back and sent his knee crashing into Krillin's gut, immediately. Krillin dropped back and shook off the slight pain. He charged in again.

As Krillin went in Tien attempted to connect a swift kick with the oncoming turtle student, but Krillin basically stepped over Tien's leg, grabbing it as he went past. That caused Tien to lose balance and fall to the ground, Krillin jumped up and dropped in, foot first, attempting to get Tien in the chest. Tien rolled out of the way, but Krillin adjusted his movement to follow the three-eyed man. Tien was equal to that and threw up a block, stopping Krillin's oncoming attempt. Both pushed against each other and the broke the block, jumping away from each other. Tien smirked and quickly shot a Dodonpa towards Krillin. The small bald man had to dive to the side, but Tien shot another one. Krillin had to keep moving.

He ran around Tien in a circle, but the blasts continued to follow. Krillin was just about out of reach the whole time, but he couldn't just keep running away from the attack. He needed a change of direction, or method. Krillin stopped as the last ray that Tien fired came in close. Krillin threw a blast towards the ray and they both connected, exploding against each other and filling the area with smoke. Krillin charged through the smoke, but Tien had the same idea and the two collided. Krillin was hit in the face and knocked back, but Tien wasn't expecting to clatter into him and struggled to keep his balance. Krillin had a chance to ensure he stayed on his feet and remained on equal level to Tien.

Both fighters turned to look at each other and immediately moved in again. Tien went to punch down at Krillin, but the smaller fighter managed to dodge around the fist and hit his old friend in the gut. Tien bent over as the hit went in, but Krillin moved quick and sent an uppercut into Tien's face. The three-eyed fighter stumbled back and shook it off, but only in time to get hit square in the face by another of Krillin's punches. As he stumbled back this time Krillin jumped back and up into the air for a second to throw an energy blast down on Tien. The blast hit the ground in front of Tien and knocked him off of his feet.

Krillin charged forward, finding his chance and got around Tien. As he got back to his feet Krillin jumped up, kicking Tien in the face and while in the air for the brief moment he flipped forward, smashing his fists down on Tien in a hammer motion. Krillin then landed back on the ground and jumped back to gain distance as he prepared the next move. Tien slowly stood up as Krillin launched a finisher.

" **Kamehameha!"**

The blue energy wave launched forward for Tien and there was nothing the former crane student could do. It was too quick for him and he had to accept that Krillin had beaten him. A small smile appeared on his face as he was knocked back by the blast. It wasn't a big Kamehameha, but it was enough to knock Tien out of the ring.

Tien landed with a thud, but slowly got back to his feet. He was beaten and he didn't mind. He dusted himself off as Krillin jumped down off the stage and held out a hand for his friend.

" **No hard feelings?"** Krillin said with a chuckle. Tien looked down, but then took Krillin's hand and shook.

" **Of course, old friend,"** Tien said, **"I was only really here for Torai anyway. Let's hope he does better than I."**

Krillin nodded in agreement and the two friends went to get some refreshments before Krillin had to take part in his second and final Preliminary match.

Meanwhile, Holline was about to go up against her opponent. It was a young woman, probably in her early twenties. Her name was Josie. She had short brunette hair, in a sort of pixie cut. She wasn't particularly tall, probably only about 5ft and she was rather slim, but also pretty well built and definitely had the look of a martial artist. She wasn't wearing any typical fighting gear though. Just a vest with some shorts. She seemed rather pumped before the fight. Bouncing on the spot and taking a few deep breaths.

Holline stood opposite her and stretched ready to fight. The two made eye contact and Holline smiled at the woman. Josie smiled back. This was already looking like being a decent fight. Holline hoped that all this wasn't just for show and the girl could actually back up her energy before the fight. Holline looked to the referee to show she was ready. Josie was ready too. Their fight was about to begin. Holline uses her senses to get a read on Josie before starting and noticed that her energy didn't appear to be too big. It was better than average for a human which showed she did have some knowledge, but Holline was eager to find out if the girl knew how to utilise Ki. She was going to find out though.

The referee gave them the go ahead and the fight started. No words between these two fighters just yet, but then again, they didn't know each other so there wasn't really much point for them to make conversation with each other before the fight. Surprising Holline, Josie made the first move, running forward and jumping up. She didn't get the same kind of height that our heroes would get in a fight, but a better than average jump for a human. She twisted and aimed a knee down towards Holline. The red-head dodged back, and Josie had to awkwardly reposition to avoiding hitting the ground and causing herself pain.

Josie put her hand down and repositioned, getting back to her feet. She looked up quickly, ready to put her arms up, but Holline still kept a bit of distance. The red-head wasn't making much of an effort at this moment. She was probably trying to get a feel for her opponent, but Josie felt like this was sign of disrespect and underestimating of her abilities. Josie closed her eyes and let out a breath.

She opened her eyes and darted forward. She threw a couple of quick jabs, all of which were avoided by Holline. The red-head just dodged her head out of the way but didn't see the kick coming until the last minute. Holline had to quickly pull back as the foot sailed up past her face, this threw her into attack mode as she motioned forward and used the force of her Ki to push Josie back a little and knock her off balance.

Josie did well to rebalance herself and move forward again. She threw more rapid punches and Holline was swatting them away with relative ease, but she was impressed by Josie's determination to make something of this fight. Josie persisted, the punches flying in thick and fast. Holline knew she couldn't just waste time defending and needed to actually attack.

Finding an opening, Holline jabbed a punch into Josie's gut and it stopped her attacking. Josie stepped back and groaned slightly. Holline stepped forward again and Josie threw up a guard. The two stood for a second, but then Holline darted in. She punched forward, trying not to put all her strength in, still wanting to see what strength Josie might have. Josie threw up her hands attempting to block, but she wasn't strong enough with the block and felt the pain in her wrist. She dropped back, clutching her left wrist. It was only a little painful, not broken, but still annoying.

Josie took a breath and went for Holline again. She was acting a bit more erratic now and her movements were less coordinated. Holline could avoid them with relative ease and was unsure of how she should fight back. She grabbed Josie's wrist and held it tightly. It caused pain and Holline knew this.

" **Fight through that pain,"** Holline told the young woman. Josie looked at Holline with some surprise. **"You have great technique, but it seems like there's a lot you've missed out on in training."**

" **What do you know about me?"** Josie asked, trying to sound tough, but she was very well spoken, posh.

" **Nothing. But you could be an amazing fighter if you have the right teacher,"** Holline replied, smiling in a friendly manner.

" **What, you?"** Josie questioned, quite offended by that suggestion. Holline shook her head.

" **Definitely not. I wasn't trained in the uh… conventional sense. My teacher was harsh… but maybe that works,"** Holline explained. As she started to think. **"If you stick around through this tournament you'll learn a lot, and maybe you'll even find a teacher."**

" **You speak as if you have already won,"** Josie said, still seemingly offended. Holline smirked.

" **Yeah, well, I might be nice, and you might have technique, but I'm still a better fighter,"** Holline confirmed as she moved forward and punched Josie in the gut again and then turned behind her kicked her forward. Josie stumbled forward and fell on her front. She was clutching her stomach. Slowly, she stood up again and turned to face Holline.

She attempted to fight back some more, throwing a couple of punches that Holline easily stood out of the way of. Josie was frustrated and kept trying to hit the red-head but was only tiring herself out as Holline moved swiftly to avoid everything. Holline grabbed Josie's arm again and elbowed the young woman in the face, knocking her away again. Josie growled in annoyance and darted forward, but Holline jumped up, over her and kicked back into her head.

Josie was knocked forward and, due to the momentum she had already built up for herself, she continued on too far and fell off of the stage. She took a moment to get to her feet and stood with her back to the stage, clearly frustrated. Holline dropped down next to her.

" **Don't be angry, you lost, but that just gives you more chances to learn and do better next time,"** Holline put a reassuring hand on Josie's shoulder. Josie took a breath and looked over to Holline.

" **Thanks, I guess…"** Josie wasn't happy, but she couldn't really be annoyed at Holline. She did best her fairly. **"I'll see you around."**

Holline watched as Josie walked off. The red-head turned to the clock and looked around to see who her next opponent was supposed to be, she had that fight coming up soon.

* * *

Another fight that occurred during that first round of preliminaries was the one between Uub and Buu. An entertaining fight, which ended with Uub's victory. It was to be expected. The young man had been trained by Goku and continued to improve every day. Having Majin Buu as a sparring partner was a great thing for him too. He won and went to the next fight without saying a word to anyone else. Meanwhile, Majin Buu decided that he wanted to go see Mr Satan and spend the rest of the tournament with his "best friend."

The first round of Preliminaries was done, only one more fight before the tournament proper began. Krillin, Holline, Pan, Goten, Trunks, Vegeta and Uub all made it through. Tien's student Torai made it through as well. The last of our team was to be decided with the fight between Gohan and Noca due to take place. They agreed not to go all out because that wouldn't be good for the small stages they were using for this round, but it was certain to be a fight with entertaining qualities.

Noca calmed himself before the match, knowing that he needed to ensure his Saiyan instinct didn't take control in this situation. This was a fight that would ordinarily force Noca to draw out quite a lot of his energy, but right now, Gohan ensured Noca that they should keep it to a minimum. The younger Saiyan agreed with these terms, believing it was beneficial to hold off from showing true power for the real tournament. It was just a shame that one of these two fantastic fighters wouldn't make it to the final Sixteen.

" **I'm determined to win this, Gohan,"** Noca informed his former teacher, before moving into a stance. There was a serious expression plastered across the young man's face. Gohan smirked and nodded, moving into his own stance.

" **I wouldn't have it any other way,"** Gohan replied, the smirk fading. Both were ready to go. The referee gave them the go ahead and Noca instantly phased for Gohan. He moved towards him at a rapid pace and Gohan hadn't quite expected it but was equal to it. He dodged to the side as Noca darted past him and stopped short at the edge of the stage. Gohan looked around and Noca turned back to attempt another attack. He did the same thing, darting forward at an immense pace. Gohan blocked this time, pushing his strength back on Noca. The two were equal to each other in that moment, and they knew it.

Noca jumped back and phased again, he came in from Gohan's left, attempting a kick. Gohan ducked down as Noca's leg sailed over. As Gohan came back up Noca had swung around and followed on with his momentum, hoping to strike another kick. Gohan defended it by pushing back against Noca's leg with his right arm, but Noca pushed forward, punching straight with his right. Gohan dodged back and then the younger Saiyan followed up, once more, swiping a kick up to Gohan's face. The older Saiyan had to straighten up quickly to let it sail past his face. Noca followed on, sending a large number of rapid jabs towards Gohan's centre, but they were all blocked or swatted away with ease.

Noca realised he wasn't getting very far with this approach and jumped back towards the edge of the stage. He then phased again, this time appearing behind Gohan. Attempting to brings his fists down on the more experienced fighter. Gohan phased this time and it was his turn to attempt an attack from the side, but Noca was also equal to this and phased again. Gohan immediately phased after his attempt and the two were locked in this cycle for about half a minute, before Gohan finally managed an attack.

He struck his fist against Noca's cheek and the young Saiyan stalled. He shook it off and glared towards Gohan. He wasn't angry with him, this was just his focussed mode. His opponent was the only thing on his mind in this moment. Noca closed his eyes and phased again, this time, Gohan wasn't ready. The young Saiyan came in behind Gohan and cracked a punch into Gohan's lower back. He arched in pain and Noca phased in front of him, smashing a fist into his gut. Gohan bent forward, only to be greeted with another punch up into his face.

He stumbled back and had to shake it off. He looked to Noca, just as the young Saiyan phased again. Gohan closed his eyes and felt the vibrations in the air as quickly as he could to determine the next move. There. Noca was coming from his right. Gohan swung around, ducked under Noca's attempt and then jumped up, getting Noca in the gut with his knee. He then flipped over and crashed a kick into Noca's back, throwing him towards the ground.

Noca managed to pounce off the ground immediately and jump to gain distance and then pounced again, this time he was going back towards Gohan and he managed to lay a mean right hook across Gohan's face. The older Saiyan was knocked back and had to put a hand down to steady himself, but Noca wasn't giving him time. He charged back in, ready to attack, but Gohan moved swiftly. Flipping back and kicking up into Noca's face as he came into the right position.

The young Saiyan was knocked up into the air and dropped back on the stage. He looked towards Gohan and winced from the pain slightly. Both of them took a moment to re-adjust.

" **Your training with Vegeta has really moulded you into a brilliant fighter,"** Gohan said, smiling and chuckling. Noca smiled back and nodded as a way to say thanks. **"But I want to be sure of something before we carry on. I need you to go Super Saiyan for me, and power up to the max."**

" **What? Are you sure about that?"** Noca asked, not really understand why Gohan could be asking this of him, but it's not like it would be a bad thing.

" **Yes. I need to see just how strong you are,"** Gohan replied, he was adamant about this. Noca nodded. He had to oblige. He took a deep breath stood in a relaxed way and focused inward. In a flash, he became a Full-Powered Super Saiyan. The form was comfortable and even freeing. Gohan smirked.

" **Are you sure you want me to power up?"** Noca asked, one more time. He had to be sure that Gohan knew what he was asking. Gohan just nodded. Noca took another breath and began to power up. His aura grew, and the energy was rising. There was an explosive rise and then the aura burst wider and began to rage. At the end of it, Noca was standing there with his power on display. Gohan smirked and scoffed. He wasn't really surprised, but it was an amazing sight for him. Just to see how far Noca had come in all those years. It was remarkable.

Gohan had already accepted what would happen, but that didn't mean he would back down. The fight wasn't over, but it wouldn't go on for much longer. That was clear to see, and if it were a fight taking place in the tournament proper and the two of them were going all out, Noca would still come out on top. Without a doubt. Gohan knew it.

Noca dropped back to his base form and blasted towards Gohan. The older Saiyan re-focused and prepared for an onslaught. Noca led with a punch, dropping in from Gohan's left. Gohan did put a block up in time, but Noca followed on through the block and still struck his former teacher across the face. As Gohan dropped back Noca landed on his feet and then performed a spinning kick to the Half-Saiyan's chest. Gohan was knocked back and flipped to get himself back on his feet.

A split second after his feet touched the stage he darted forward, attempting to attack Noca. He went for a kick which Noca ducked under and then charged up, punching Gohan in the chin and knocking him back. Noca then threw both hands forward and used a Ki blast to throw him further back. Gohan bounced down on the stage, narrowly avoiding falling off the edge. He slowly got up and laughed.

" **You could have ended it already, Noca…"** Gohan said. Noca scoffed.

" **I wanted to see how hard you would try, I guess you're not taking this too seriously,"** Noca explained, and then assumed. Gohan chuckled.

" **Or maybe I am just that rusty,"** He joked, straightening up and cracking his back. **"I guess I should drop out now."**

" **What?"**

" **Come on, Noca. I'm not going to beat you. Like I said, you could have ended this already, and even if we did keep fighting, this fight would go on forever,"** Gohan explained, as he stepped down off the stage. **"I'd like a rematch with you someday. A proper fight where we can go all out."**

Noca just watched in confusion as Gohan was standing off of the stage. He won the fight. He was going to the next round, but he didn't understand it. He knew he could win. He was adamant he was going to beat Gohan, but hearing it come from Gohan himself was surprising for Noca. The young Saiyan scoffed and nodded to Gohan, as he too jumped down off of the stage and went for the showers.

* * *

Gradually, the rest of the preliminary fights ended and the final sixteen were confirmed. There would be a slight wait as the final draw took place, and just like the draw for the preliminaries it would be done by a panel. That panel consisted of Mr Satan and the announcer. The only two people drawing the opponents, but they would still have to wait. Even though only sixteen fighters had got through a vast majority of the sixty-four still remained in the arena. They were all waiting to see the final draw.

The names would appear on the screen one-by-one. Mr Satan would draw the first name, and the announcer would draw the second. The draw was as followed:

NOCA vs BILLY

VEGETA vs TRUNKS

SHAI vs PAN

SOFIA vs YAIKO

GOTEN vs JOJI

KRILLIN vs TORAI

KENSU vs HOLLINE

UUB vs ZORA

Everyone dealt with the news of who they would be up against. Trunks groaned and Goten laughed at him.

" **I'm up against my Dad, again!"** Trunks yelled and seemed really disappointed.

" **Guess you had a nice run in this tournament, but that ends tomorrow,"** Goten said while laughing hysterically. Trunks shot him a powerful glare and hit him on the shoulder.

" **You're probably going to lose too!"** Trunks yelled at his friend, then they started to argue, but it was all in good fun. Noca took the moment to look for the opponent Goten would be up against. It was Joji, he was one of the three fighters that Noca had spotted earlier. The two guys and the girl. Actually, the girl was Sofia, and she would be up against Yaiko, the other guy in their group. Noca was intrigued by that group.

" **Hey, Noca…"** Pan got her boyfriend's attention back. Noca turned to face her.

" **What's up, babe?"** Noca asked. Pan went to respond but looked at Noca strangely.

" **Babe, really? You can't pull that off,"** Pan joked, but then got on to what she had to say. **"I'm up against Shai… he's one of the guys that worked with that evil wizard."**

" **Dazir?"** Noca questioned. He then looked through the group, trying to desperately find Shai. **"I can sense Shai's power, it's above average, but not insanely above. I don't think there's any magic involved."**

Pan seemed relieved and then went on to another topic.

" **What about you, fighting Billy?"** Pan said, struggling to hide her amusement. **"He doesn't stand a chance."**

Noca looked around and spotted Billy, **"Definitely not. But, that doesn't mean I'll humiliate him… too much."**

The couple laughed together as the rest of the group dealt with their draw results. Krillin was already speaking to Torai and Tien. He was excited to go up against Tien's student. Holline had gone to find her opponent and discovered that Kensu was actually Josie's boyfriend, so that was oddly coincidental. Most of the fighters had finally filtered out, especially after the announcer informed them that the first fight would start at 11 a.m. the next day, but they should arrive at around 9.30 a.m. for preparations and pre-tournament events.

Once the times had been confirmed Uub, the group of fighters that intrigued Noca, and Shai had all left without saying anything to anyone else. Uub's opponent seemed to be looking around for him and Noca obliged in going to speak to her.

Zora was rather tall, but not freakishly so, just a little above average height. She was a little taller than Noca, but then again, so was Uub, at the moment. She was a little dark-skinned, and had black curly hair. She was very attractive, but that wasn't something that Noca really focussed on.

" **Hi, I'm Noca, you must be Zora, Uub's opponent?"** Noca greeted, in his friendly manner.

" **Yes, hello. Nice to meet you,"** She greeted, shaking his hand and smiling. **"I know that the two of you fought at the last tournament and know each other, is there any reason why he didn't stick around?"**

" **I'm not really sure. I can't get a proper read on Uub at the moment, he hasn't been the same since Freeza's attack,"** Noca explained, trailing off and realising she wouldn't get it. **"Anyway, I'm sure he's just focussed on the fight. It was nice to meet you, but I better get back to my girlfriend,"** Noca joked.

" **Ok, Noca. See you tomorrow,"** She said, smiling, as Noca walked off back to his group.

* * *

Later that evening, back at the Capsule House, the group of six friends were all hanging out together in one of the entertainment rooms. They were just chilling with the TV on and were chatting. Noca took this moment to mention something he had picked up on during the tournament. Something about Pan. It had been playing on his mind and he knew he needed to bring it up.

" **You are going to show your true power in the tournament, right?"** He questioned, Pan turned to him with a surprised expression.

" **How did you even get time to realise I wasn't showing much of my power at the tournament?"** She asked, not actually answering his question.

" **I can always feel your energy. It's always so clear to me, and while I was fighting your Dad I realised it, you have a deep power that you're keeping hidden,"** Noca explained, Pan looked away and sighed. **"You are planning to use it, right?"**

" **Yes. I will, of course,"** Pan answered, **"But I haven't been hiding it, I just haven't needed it yet."**

" **Ok, if you say so,"** Noca responded, smirking as he relaxed back in the chair. Pan turned fully to face him.

" **I mean it. I haven't had a reason to power up to my maximum at the moment, but when the time comes you'll see,"** She explained, getting rather defensive. **"Hopefully you'll get a chance to experience it first-hand."**

" **Hopefully I will,"** Noca said, smirking back at his girlfriend. She just shook her head and pretended to sulk next to him. Noca laughed and kissed her on the cheek, she groaned in a childish manner. **"Love you, Pan."**

Pan muttered something in response to Noca. He knew what she had said, but he needed to hear it properly.

" **What was that?"** He asked, leaning in closer.

" **I love you too…"** Pan said, defeated. Noca chuckled and cuddled up to her, kissing her on the cheek again. Pan just laughed and playfully pushed him away. **"Stop it, you!"**

The rest of the night was relaxed, and that was good, because the week had only just begun. The tournament would properly kick into gear the very next day.

* * *

 _And the preliminary round has ended! That means the tournament will properly begin next time! Look forward to it._

 _Thank you for reading, as always, and if you want to say anything or have any questions feel free to review or PM. I always love reading what people think._

 _Much love to you all!_

 _Next Time... Chapter 39: Easy Opening_


	39. Arc VII: Easy Opening

_**Chapter 39: Easy Opening**_

 _Tuesday 19_ _th_ _July Age 797_

Waking up on that morning was pretty difficult for Noca. For some reason, he just didn't feel like the tournament was starting. He was woken abruptly by Dom and glared at his friend as soon as his eyes were open. Dom was a little startled by Noca's reaction.

" **Sorry… you said that I should wake you…"** Dom said, backing off a little. Noca rubbed his eyes and sat up in his bed, groaning.

" **Yeah, I know. But I'm only up against Billy today, and unless he's become an Android or a Superhero there's no way he's beating me today,"** Noca explain, **"It doesn't feel like I'm getting to fight."**

He got out of the bed and wandered into the bathroom, showering and brushing his teeth. He put his Gi on and headed downstairs to get some breakfast before gathering with the rest of the group and heading to the Stadium. Everyone was excited about this one because the atmosphere would add to the thrill of the fights, but Noca was still sombre. Pan wasn't very talkative either. Holline noticed this and decided to ask her friends about it.

" **What's gotten into the two of you?"** She asked, Noca continued to look down at the ground as they walked along, and Pan was the one to respond first.

" **I'm nervous about my fight,"** Pan started. Noca didn't look up, but his ears did perk up about that. **"The last time I fought Shai it was difficult, it was scary, even. Plus, that was an all-around crazy and bad day. One to forget."**

Pan looked to Noca as he looked up at Pan and really took in her emotion and vibe. She certainly was feeling anxious about the upcoming challenge, and it made Noca feel really silly. He was just annoyed that he wouldn't get a challenging fight, but Pan was genuinely worried. Noca put an arm around her as they walked up to the stadium.

" **I don't think you need to worry, you're an amazing fighter and you've improved a lot,"** Noca assured her, the two of them smiling together. **"Shai should be the nervous one."**

Pan thanked Noca for his confidence in her and he finally realised he needed to stop dwelling on his childish problem. He would get plenty of challenges as the tournament progressed, he knew it. The group soon arrived at the Stadium and that was where many of them would part ways. Noca, Pan, Holline, Goten, Trunks, Vegeta, and Krillin would go through the fighters' entrance and get the special treatment, while everyone else would go to their executive seating area, and… get the special treatment.

Either way, once the fighters entered the waiting room they saw the rest of the competitors were already there. Krillin went to go talk to Torai, giving him some tips and trying to help boost his confidence. Vegeta went to a wall and found the perfect spot to lean until his fight. Trunks and Goten stood together and spoke about whatever, even though Trunks was nervous about his fight and kept trying to shift some of his nerves onto Goten. It wasn't working though. The younger man was fairly confident about his fight. Speaking of his opponent, Joji, he was standing with his two friends… or should they be called allies. It didn't look like any of the trio wanted to be standing there, and the smallest and youngest of the group, Yaiko, just looked timid.

Noca was still intrigued by them and kept his eyes on them. It was surprising. The female, Sofia, appeared the be the most confident and was leaning against the wall with a smirk on her face. Joji just stood there with his arms folded and a vacant expression on his face. He was staring at Goten, sizing up his opponent. Noca's eyes fell on Yaiko just as the young man looked over to him, it was only for a split second before he looked away again. Noca's brow furrowed, but his gaze didn't alter. That's when his attention was gripped by a voice from beside him.

Noca turned to see Billy.

" **Fancy seeing you here,"** Billy said. He actually appeared to be pretty physically fit and was standing confidently. It was unfortunate that in the few years since Noca had last seen him properly Noca was taller.

" **I was a finalist in the last tournament, what did you think, I wouldn't come back?"** Noca said in a questioning, yet sarcastic tone. **"I plan to win, so don't get your hopes up."**

Noca looked away from Billy and walked over to where Pan and Holline had sat down. Billy stood there with a confused expression on his face. He was all prepared to antagonise Noca, but it just backfired on him and now he was more frustrated.

When Noca sat down he took a chance to look over at the trio of fighters again. _(I just remembered I forgot to describe their appearances, so I'm going to do that here)._

The tall one, Joji, was very well built, but slim. He had light brown and short, neat hair, combed to the left. He was an attractive man but appeared very vacant. He wasn't wearing any traditional fighting clothes, just a pair of blue jeans with a plain white polo top, and some smart shoes.

Sofia, clearly the most confident of the trio, was also quite well built, yet slender. She was about average height for a woman in her late-teens, early twenties. Her dark blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail. She wore a plain white tank-top, with some slim black jeans and black boots.

Now, the timid little Yaiko. He appeared to be a teenager. Was quite average in height, he wasn't short, but he was the shortest of all sixteen fighters. He had messy, spiky dark brown hair that was shoulder length. He wore a black hooded jacket with a pair on blue jeans and white sneakers. He also had a white t-shirt on underneath his jacket.

Noca realised he may have spent a bit too long staring at the group and instead started to listen to what Pan and Holline were talking about, hoping to join in with their conversation.

It wasn't too long before someone came into the room to tell them that the opening ceremony would soon take place and then they would be able to progress with the fighting. The opening ceremony wasn't something any of them wanted to take part in. There was a short performance by a local Rock Band with some guest musicians. The crowd got a kick out of that. Then there was a speech from Mr Satan and the crowd really enjoyed that too. Then they took a moment to introduce every one of the fighters and say something about them and what they may have achieved beforehand. They seemed to gloss over the fact that Noca had died at the last tournament. There was a cheer when it was said that Pan was there. Being the granddaughter of Mr Satan was a big thing for the crowd, and there was also a cheer when Goku was mentioned, being a past champion and three-time finalist.

It was shaping up to be a grand event and, somehow, even bigger than the last. The announcer got his moment to shout about how the fighting would soon be starting and get the crowd riled up, if they weren't already enough. Once the fighters were shown back to the waiting area the Announcer followed and told them that there would be fifteen minutes to clear the opening stuff and get the stage set for the opening match. He motioned towards Noca and Billy to ask if they were both ready. They of course were.

The fifteen minutes passed, and it was time. The announcer's moment was truly here, and he was excited.

" **Now, are you all ready to witness some of the greatest fighting you will ever get to see. The sixteen best fighters in our world go head-to-head to determine the new World Champion and it starts right now. Would the challengers Noca and Billy please come to the stage!"** The announcer stepped down off of the stage and went to his commentator's box where he would be providing Live commentary for those watching at home, along with Mr Satan.

Noca and Billy walked out of the waiting area to cheers and an awkward fanfare. The two of them walked side-by-side. Billy started waving to the massive crowd. There were probably about One-hundred and fifty-thousand people crammed into this huge stadium. There were a few big-screens around the top so that everyone could see the action at all times and there were cameras all the way up, in case flying was involved. The stage was more modern this year and it was teased that there would be environmental stages later on, and maybe other kinds of obstacles. It would certainly add to the entertainment, and challenge.

When Noca and Billy made it to the stage there was a man standing there who told them to stand in the middle. The two of them stood together while the crowd died down.

" **Can't wait to show you how strong I've gotten,"** Billy said, threateningly. Noca scoffed.

" **Strength is nothing without experience and technique. I also trained in space for half a year,"** Noca said before walking off to the other side to gain some space. Billy just watched Noca, quite surprised by what was said. He shook his head and went over to his own side. He moved into a stance and Noca remarked how there was a little bit of technique there, but it wouldn't matter. Noca didn't bother getting into his own stance though.

The bell sounded, and the fight was allowed to begin, but Noca didn't move. He stood, facing Billy and apparently that was enough to antagonise him. Billy ran towards Noca and started throwing punches. Noca dodged all them with ease and made it look as if no effort was being put in. He would step to the side as a punch came towards him and then back to the other side when the next one came in. Billy didn't like how simple Noca made this look and it frustrated him.

He started trying to add kicks into the mix, but Noca continued to avoid them all. His speed was no match for Billy, and Noca had hardly pulled out any stops. It was nothing near his true speed, it was just a little above average. A punch went by Noca's head as he moved his head out of the way and in a split second Noca watched it and made a quick decision. He straightened his neck again and let Billy punch towards his face. Using his speed, at the last second Noca turned to face the left and let Billy's punch crash into his right cheek. There was connection at last.

Noca was still standing and hadn't moved a muscle. Billy did have a smile on his face, but it soon faded.

" **What? That hit… but… you,"** Billy's words were lost. He didn't know how he could even measure up to Noca in this moment. There was nothing new for him to try. Noca looked back towards him, a small smirk appearing on his face. Billy yelled and punched Noca in the gut. No movement. Noca stood his ground. The Saiyan blinked and cleared his throat, he used his Ki to send a little pulse through the air. It knocked Billy off of his feet and sent him sliding to the edge of the stage. He didn't fall out though.

Billy jumped up and shook it off. He ran towards Noca again and punched forward. Noca stepped out of the way and Billy stumbled forward, almost falling, but kept his footing. He looked to Noca. The Saiyan simply backhanded Billy with his right hand and the former-bully fell to the floor. He pushed up but was clutching his face. Noca had held back as much as he could be bothered.

" **That will probably leave a bruise,"** Noca said. Billy got back to his feet and punched Noca square in the nose, but it didn't do anything.

" **Why don't my attacks do anything?!"** Billy yelled as he started punching rapidly at Noca's chest and gut. There was of course no damage inflicted and Noca was bored. He lifted a hand and scratched his temple as Billy started to get tired out. Billy stopped and tried to catch his breath. He was slumped over a little bit and looked up at Noca. The Saiyan moved out a hand and held his middle finger in with his thumb and moved it to Billy's head. He then flicked his opponent a Billy stepped away, holding his forehead and groaning. Noca scoffed to himself and shook his head.

" **I should end this, right?"** Noca said. It seemed like he was asking for Billy's permission, but it wasn't like Billy needed a moment to plan his next amazing attack. He wasn't going to have a chance. Noca moved his foot, deliberately slowly, but before he placed it back down he phased. Billy was shocked at the movement and had no idea what to make of it. Until he heard a voice behind him **. "Boo."**

Billy swung around and stumbled back. He then attempted to throw a punch at the Saiyan again. Noca sighed and phased again. Billy punched through nothing and stumbled forward. There was no one in front of him. He turned around quickly, but no one there.

" **Behind you again,"** Noca said, standing behind Billy, yet again. The weaker young man turned around fast and went to punch Noca in the face but hit an invisible barrier. Noca had used his Ki to hold Billy back. **"I'm gonna end it."**

Noca lowered himself and jabbed Billy in the gut. Billy coughed and then fell to the ground, unconscious. Noca lifted the defeated man up and carried him off of the stage. The announcer ran out and grabbed his microphone.

" **So, uh, Noca is the winner of the first fight under… simple circumstances,"** He said, trying his best to sound excited and upbeat. There were some cheers, but mostly just an ordinary round of applause. **"Next up we have Vegeta, the husband to wealthy businesswoman, and scientist, Bulma Brief. And his opponent is Trunks, Vegeta's and Bulma's son."**

There was a proper cheer this time as the crowd understood they would likely get a more interesting fight after that lacklustre opener. Noca had carried Billy to the back and lay him in front of the on-site doctors.

" **He'll be fine, he's only unconscious,"** Noca explained as he went and sat down with Pan. **"That was boring."**

" **Oh, come on,"** Holline said, ruffling Noca's hair, **"You enjoyed that, I can tell."**

" **Definitely,"** Pan agreed, laughing with Holline. Noca smirked but sat back.

" **At least we can see something a bit more interesting,"** he said, looking over to Vegeta, who was still standing with his arms folded, back against the wall, and eyes closed.

" **What, Trunks getting his ass handed to him by his own Father?"** Pan said, deliberately loud so that Trunks and Goten could both hear. They looked over and Trunks seemed offended, while Goten just laughed out loud. Trunks returned the favour by smacking him on the head. Goten didn't stop the laughing and teasing though.

The announcer finally called for the next two. Vegeta opened his eyes and walked to the door. Trunks rushed to his side.

" **Let's have a nice clean fight, eh Dad?"** Trunks said, holding his hand out. Vegeta looked up at his Son and then looked forward again.

" **You better have been training properly,"** Vegeta muttered as he walked out towards the stage. Trunks sighed and took a deep breath before following. He looked back to Goten one last time.

" **Wish me luck,"** The lavender haired man said, while fake crying. Goten gave him a thumbs-up.

There were more cheers as the two of them made their way to the stage. They got up there, put some distance between them and moved into their stances. They were ready, the announcer knew it and they would just need to wait for their signal.

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed that nice little start to the tournament proper. I got a kick out of having Noca humiliate Billy, it might seem unfair, but Noca's arrogant, and that will definitely be seen quite a bit in this tournament, I think. We'll see._

 _Leave a review if you have absolutely anything to say, or PM me if you prefer._

 _Next Time... Chapter 40: Father vs. Son, Again_


	40. Arc VII: Father vs Son, Again

_**Chapter 40: Father vs Son, Again**_

There was tension between Father and Son. Trunks was nervous, but he had reason to be. Vegeta was one of, if not, the strongest fighter on the planet, possibly one of the strongest in the universe. The lavender haired man was never as committed to fighting as his dear old Father, but he understood that Vegeta took pride in strength, so Trunks had indeed continued his training. That didn't mean he could match Vegeta's strength, but he could at least have a fun fight.

" **I hope you don't disappoint me, son,"** Vegeta called out, he wore a serious expression and Trunks knew he shouldn't let his father down, especially in this scenario. Trunks swallowed and smirked.

" **You'll have to wait and see,"** Trunks said, showing off some confidence, but Vegeta could see right through him.

" **You definitely haven't trained enough, I can sense it,"** Vegeta confirmed. Trunks chuckled and looked down.

" **You're right, but Dad,"** Trunks said, still looking down, but he knew he needed to look his father in the eyes. **"I was never going to be as good as you."**

Vegeta remained silent. He didn't really have any response to that. Trunks was absolutely right in this scenario, he was never going to train enough to match Vegeta's level. He would have to do a lot of work in all sorts of conditions to be able to get close to Vegeta's current level. The Prince smirked and chuckled.

" **I just entered the tournament for fun, I had my fun in the preliminaries,"** Trunks explained. Vegeta scoffed and turned his head away. He wasn't annoyed with his son, but he understood where he was coming from. **"That's why I don't intend to have fun here, dad, I'm going to go all out against you!"**

Vegeta turned back to face his son, fairly surprised by what was said.

" **I told you, I already had my fun, so let's have a real fight!"** Trunks said, tightening up his stance and preparing for the announcer's signal. Vegeta looked to the announcer and nodded. Trunks did the same. Signal given. Time to fight.

Trunks' aura flared around him and he immediately blasted off the ground towards Vegeta. He soared towards the Prince but struck nothing. Vegeta had phased and moved behind him, so Trunks had to put a foot down on the ground, stop himself and then turn around quickly. He threw a punch towards his father, but Vegeta caught it in his left hand and then kicked Trunks in the gut. He was knocked away by the force of Vegeta's kick and fell on his back.

He groaned, but immediately jumped back to his feet and blasted towards Vegeta again. Trunks punched forward, but Vegeta backed away from it, Trunks then followed up by attempting to kick out, missing his target. Vegeta grabbed Trunks' leg before it went back down and swung Trunks around, launching him across the stage. The Prince then phased above Trunks, knocking him down into the stage. Trunks was on his back again, with Vegeta's foot on his chest.

Trunks opened his eyes to see his father smirking. Trunks struggled to push enough strength on Vegeta to get free from his foot. It wasn't easy. Trunks yelled out as he put his strength into it and started to shift Vegeta's foot. The Prince scoffed and released his foot, because of the strength Trunks was putting into his movement his arms move forward quickly in the air and he sat up, but instantly felt the connection of a kick to his face. He slid across the stage a little bit and his hands immediately went to his face. He grunted as he stood up, slowly. Vegeta was standing there with his arms folded, looking off to the side.

Trunks knew that Vegeta was trying to get a rise out of him, and to be perfectly honest it was working, but he wasn't going to give in that easily. He wanted to show his father that while he may not have the same strength as he or Noca, he does still have the skills to take on any tough opponent and do some work. Trunks yelled out and refreshed his aura before blasting forward again. Vegeta opened his eye at the last second and leaned back as Trunks' arm passed by his face. Trunks tried to act quickly and change his move, attempting to elbow Vegeta in the face, but the Prince managed to move his head out of the way of that and send a simple punch up into Trunks' gut.

Vegeta then followed up with an uppercut punch into Trunks' gut and sent him up into the air. Trunks rolled up, but quickly managed to steady himself, but only in time to come face-to-face with his father again as Vegeta had shot up there and did a roundhouse kick to smash Trunks in the face. The Prince watched his son fly across the air and stop himself again. Vegeta didn't move, he hoped that Trunks would change up his attempts and go for something new. Trunks yelled out as he powered up his aura some more before flying forward again, but he phased before reaching Vegeta and appeared behind him. He attempted a kick to the back of Vegeta's head, but the Prince was equal to it, managing to duck down. Trunks phased again.

He shot in from Vegeta's right and attempted another kick, this time the side of Vegeta's head, but the Prince moved again, managing to avoid it. Trunks cursed and phased again, appearing right in front of Vegeta this time. He was getting really frustrated and threw a barrage of punches towards his father's face, but Vegeta dodged every single one of them without batting an eye. He was too much for Trunks to handle at this moment and the young man knew it. He was yelling as he continued throwing punch after punch. He ended with an attempted kick up into Vegeta's face, but Vegeta phased.

He appeared behind his son and punched him in the lower back. Trunks arched and then Vegeta phased in front of him, planting his foot deep in his gut. Trunks bent forward and coughed up, and when Vegeta phased away again he went back to grip his gut, but Vegeta didn't let him have much time. The Prince flew in from the side and kicked Trunks across the face with his right and followed up with a roundhouse with his left, hitting Trunks in the face again. Vegeta, having done a full 360 then punched Trunks in the same side of his face and sent him flying down towards the stage.

Trunks crashed down, hard. He managed to crack the stage. He was sprawled out on his back again and had to look up. His father was still in the air, just watching down on his son. Trunks thought to himself. He tried to think of something he could do to not only best his father but surprise him. He knew he couldn't really win, but he could keep trying. He had a point to prove to Vegeta: he was still strong. Vegeta still hadn't moved, as if expecting something from Trunks, which only put some more pressure on him.

Trunks closed his eyes and focussed hard. He slowly got back to his feet, his face was in a lot of pain. He put a hand to it and felt a stinging pain. His father's constant hits had cut him. It drew blood. Trunks looked at the blood and wiped it on his green Gi. He clenched both fists and took a few deep breaths. He closed his eyes again and focussed. His aura burst free again, but this time it was golden and then, with a flash, he became a Super Saiyan. He opened his eyes, now a teal colour, and he immediately blasted off of the stage with tremendous force.

Vegeta smirked as Trunks came firing up. The Prince's son sent a few energy blasts up to meet Vegeta, but the Prince swatted them all away, but that was only to distract him a little bit, Trunks had increased his pace and Vegeta underestimated how quickly he would be there. Trunks was in Vegeta's face and threw a punch straight at it. Vegeta had to put his hand up to stop it, not being able to move his head quick enough. Trunks followed up by punching towards Vegeta's gut with his free-hand, but Vegeta was equal to that one too. He caught it and now had both of Trunks' hands in his own.

Trunks then lifted both legs and put them on Vegeta's chest, but Vegeta knew that move, having done it to Android 19, all those years ago, himself. Vegeta let go of Trunks' hands, but as soon as he did Trunks sent blasts into his father's face and jumped away as they exploded. Trunks almost cheered after landing a hit, but Vegeta blasted out of the smoke cloud, unscathed.

" **Don't celebrate too early!"** Vegeta yelled, as he smashed a fist against Trunk's face and then kicked him in the ribs before hammering his fists down on his son's head. Trunks fell down in the air a little, but managed to stop himself, but Vegeta flew around and blasted back towards Trunks, punching him in the head. Trunks flew back and steadied himself, but as soon as he stopped he threw both of his hands forward and fired an energy wave. Vegeta flew directly towards the blast and put his hands out redirecting the blast up into the air. Trunks let the energy go and flew towards his father again. Both of them clashed into each other and were putting their force against one another. Trunks was struggling, even though he was a Super Saiyan and Vegeta wasn't.

Trunks tried pouring as much of his energy into the clash as he could, his aura flaring up more than usual and his muscles tensing. Vegeta had a smirk on his face as he watched his son try with all of his might. Vegeta was a little proud of him in this moment. Sure, he was annoyed that Trunks hadn't been training properly and had fallen behind, but he was proud that Trunks was putting the effort in here and now. It assured Vegeta that if a new threat came tomorrow Trunks would be there to ensure that he helped everyone as best as he could.

Trunks noticed Vegeta's smirk, but it only managed to distract him a little bit and let up on the clash, giving Vegeta all he needed to just push all that energy back on Trunks and get on the next attack. Trunks fell back a little as the clash broke and Vegeta flew forward, knee first into Trunks face. The Prince then phased, appearing to kick Trunks in the side of the head from the right, and phasing again. He then appeared to throw a right hook into the side of Trunks' face and the followed up with a left into the centre of his face before performing another roundhouse kick, this time into Trunks' chest. Trunks was knocked back further this time and seemed to be losing the will to continue.

He wasn't just tiring out, he was feeling the pain of Vegeta's attacks. His breathing was beginning to get heavier and he looked up at his father as Vegeta floated there, just looking towards his son. Trunks looked down to the ground again and yelled out before blasting towards Vegeta again. He threw a punch, but Vegeta backed around it. Trunks followed up by attempting a spinning kick into Vegeta's head, but the Prince ducked under it. Trunks then tried a few punches, all avoided by Vegeta. He rose above his father and attempted a hammer down, but Vegeta phased. Trunks looked around to try and see where Vegeta might show up but couldn't spot him. Vegeta appeared in front of him and smashed a quick one-two into Trunks' face. Trunks fell back and dropped out of Super Saiyan.

He looked back at his father and shot towards him, attempting another punch, but Vegeta caught his arm and tightened his grip around it.

" **Times up, son,"** Vegeta muttered. Trunks scoffed and slowly looked up at his father. Vegeta's brow furrowed as something didn't seem right. Trunks' eyes slowly turned teal again and then his energy flashed, he became a Super Saiyan again and managed to smash a fist right up into his father's face. He then dropped back chuckling weakly. Vegeta growled in annoyance and flashed Super Saiyan, smashing a fist against his son's face, knocking him out of the sky, down towards the stage, except it wasn't the stage and Trunks fell onto the grass.

Vegeta immediately dropped to the ground and fell out of Super Saiyan. He stood at his son's side. Trunks was laughing to himself.

" **What's so amusing?"** Vegeta asked, pretty bewildered by the new development.

" **I only wanted to land one hit… and I did that,"** Trunks muttered, coughing and laughing. Vegeta grunted and then lifted his son off the ground, taking him back to the waiting area. Vegeta was confirmed as the winner and the crowd started cheering. They were entertained by that.

As Vegeta walked back towards the waiting area with his son, he couldn't help but smirk to himself. His son may not have had a chance in that fight, but he went in with an objective and achieved that. Vegeta was happy with that.

* * *

 _Uploaded it a bit late, but hope you enjoyed the chapter. Leave a review if you want, please._

 _Next Time... Chapter 41: Pan's Skills_


	41. Arc VII: Pan's Skills

_**Chapter 41: Pan's Skills**_

Trunks was going to be fine, he was only a little tired, and would probably have a few bruises thanks to Vegeta, but that was nothing too bad. Vegeta didn't seem to be worried, neither did anyone else. There were only two people with anything resembling worries on their minds: Noca and Pan. Pan's match was next. She was up against Shai. A rematch against an opponent who had once given her a tough time. Pan wasn't feeling bad about herself, she was just nervous to see what kind of secret power Shai might have under his belt this time. Noca, was worried for Pan, but only that she might not focus on the fight properly due to her worries. He had complete faith in her abilities and was certain of her victory, but he didn't want Pan to start doubting herself.

She stood nervously by the door, waiting for her name to be called. Noca walked over to her and took her hand in his own. He stood in front of her, she looked up at him.

" **Don't think about the past, that fight was under very different circumstances,"** Noca started, attempting to assure her and boost her confidence. **"You're a remarkable fighter and you can beat him, no problem."**

" **Thanks…"** Pan replied, seeming to be rather distant, deep in thought. Noca could tell she was distracted. He looked deep into her eyes and then kissed her on the forehead.

" **Try to focus,"** He said, attempting one last assurance. He put a hand on her cheek and smiled at her, she nodded and smiled back weakly. Noca walked back to Holline but felt that he hadn't done his best and Pan might struggle here. As Noca walked he passed Shai. The large fighter looked down on Noca and scoffed to himself. Noca didn't pay him any attention, he was just sensing his energy. It was above average, he was a skilled fighter, that's for sure. He may even have some Ki control and more power hidden, but it would still be nowhere near Pan's. He was certain.

Noca sat down next to Holline and sighed as he kept his eyes fixed upon Pan. Holline put an arm around him.

" **She'll be fine,"** The red-head said, knowing it was her turn to try some assurance. Noca smiled weakly and looked at the girl.

" **I don't doubt that,"** Noca said, looking back at Pan, **"But she does."**

Shai made it to the door, he stood next to Pan and didn't bother looking down at her. She didn't pay him the attention either. They both stood looking forward, in silence, until…

" **I'm surprised you haven't run away at the sight of me,"** Shai said, chuckling. Pan paid him no attention. She remained silent and kept her eyes forward. The announcer did his last bit of warming-up for the crowd and called their names. Pan and Shai stepped out and walked up to the stage. Both immediately went to opposite sides of the stage, not bothering to walk up the middle together, there was not going to be any sort of 'good sportsmanship' between these two. Pan moved into her stance and immediately focussed.

Her eyes narrowed, and everything else around her had essentially blurred out. There were plenty of cheers coming from the crowd, everyone was supporting Pan here. Granddaughter of the champ, it was expected, but Pan drowned that out and completely fixed her attention upon Shai and the coming fight. Shai smirked and moved into his own stance, it was a weak stance, but Pan wasn't going to be fooled. Shai was still strong, she had to be on-guard throughout the whole fight to ensure that everything went smoothly.

They were both ready, the crowd was ready, the announcer gave the signal. Time for another fight.

Shai started to walk forwards towards Pan, he wasn't moving quickly or blasting towards her, he just walked across the stage casually. This was supposed to be intimidating and Pan knew that, so she didn't move. She stood her ground and waited for him. Shai chuckled and cracked his knuckles as he walked forward.

" **Confident, are we?"** Shai uttered, Pan didn't need to dignify that with a response. Shai got closer, Pan remained perfectly still, making sure her breathing was regulated and her emotions were all in check. She had no need to fly off the handle yet. Her Saiyan instinct was kicking in and telling her to fight, but she was also telling herself to play it cool, remain composed, then she would have control of the fight.

Shai was right in front of her and he reeled back his arm and punched down towards Pan. The girl switched on and flipped backwards, kicking Shai up in the face and gaining distance again. She flipped a few times across the stage and landed on her feet, a safe distance away again, and then dropped back into her stance. Shai remained in position and put a hand to his face. He shook it off and laughed. He started walking forward again. Pan remained composed.

Shai got close to her again and this time he attempted to stomp down on Pan, but the girl simply hopped back a step, but Shai followed up, punching down like he had done before. This time, Pan dived forward and managed to roll underneath Shai. Once on the other side she jumped up and kicked twice into Shai's back, using it to inflict an attack as well as spring herself away to a safe distance again. Shai was down on one knee and slowly stood back up, turning around and smirking. He was impressed by Pan, so far, but he hadn't kicked into second gear yet. Pan was yet to see what Shai could really do, and she knew that.

Pan had already tuned them out, so she couldn't notice that the crowd had fallen dead silent. They were too engrossed by the tension of this fight, even though they didn't even know the context for their conflict, but it was turning out to be the most interesting fight so far, as far as they were concerned. In the executive box, Gohan and Videl were very proud of their girl, and Rei was making some noise to show he was enjoying himself.

Noca was standing at the door of the waiting area and he couldn't take his eyes off of the conflict, wanting to see just how much Pan had to show. Holline was standing with him, but she was more interested in Noca's reaction to everything, it both intrigued and amused her. That's not to say that she didn't care about Pan's fight.

Shai started moving towards Pan again, this time he was moving fast, he even broke into a bit of a run. He was ready to charge into Pan and attempt an attack that way. Pan knew what was coming and knew she could deal with it. As Shai came within touching distance Pan cartwheeled to the left and managed to move out of the way. Shai tried to turn quickly and threw out an arm, hoping to catch Pan, but he lost his balance and slipped, having to steady himself. He managed it and continued running for Pan again.

She jumped up over him as he ran at her and she kicked back, hitting him in the head. He swung around trying to connect with her, but Pan avoided it as she dropped back towards the ground. Just as she touched down, Shai was already turning around and facing her, and he was attempting to stomp down on her again. Pan dodged from side to side as Shai attempted a few stomps and she avoided all of them, gracefully. She wasn't just taking advantage of her small size and speed compared to Shai, but she seemed to be moving like a gymnast. The time Noca had been away had been good for Pan, especially where her training was concerned. She had improved an incredible amount.

Pan flipped and rolled to gain a bit of distance again. Shai stopped and composed himself, cracking his neck and turning to face Pan again. He didn't appear to like being shown up. He started walking towards Pan again as the girl moved back into her stance, ready for whatever came next. Shai smashed a fist down towards her again, but once more, Pan hopped back to avoid it and then jumped off the ground, towards Shai again. She hit him in the face with her knee and then flipped back again. She landed down and pounced forward, elbowing Shai in the gut.

He bent over from the impact, but he wasn't too badly affected by that hit. He now had a chance. He grabbed Pan by the side with both hands and pulled her towards him, crashing his head into her face. He let go at the same time and Pan was thrown back by the force. She dropped onto her back, but quickly flipped, only narrowly avoiding another attempted stomp.

" **Looks like you weren't paying too much attention,"** Shai teased, as he started moving towards her again. Pan shook off the pain and kept her eyes fixed on him. The moment she went in for an attack she lost focus. She cursed herself for letting that happen, but knew it was her own fault and that she needed to be better in that scenario.

Shai charged towards her again, Pan hadn't expected the sudden burst of pace. She leapt into the air as he smashed both of his fists down on the ground where Pan had been. She twisted through the air and landed on the opposite side, behind Shai. He turned around and charged again and did the same thing, but only with one hand. Pan leapt up again, but Shai grabbed her leg and slammed her into the ground. He went to follow up with a fist towards her face, but Pan fired a quick Ki blast up into Shai's face, distracting him and managing to move away. Shai swatted through the air and was temporarily blinded.

Pan had another opening. She jumped towards him, twisting and landing a strong kick against his face. She dropped to the ground and rolled away, but upon stopping on her feet she pounced back towards Shai. That time, she punched him in the face, dropped right next to him and kicked up into his chin. Shai stumbled back, still swatting through the air. Pan ran towards him, ducking under an arm as it came close and she placed a foot on his bent knee and used that to jump up and then dropped in with another punch into his face. Shai dropped to a knee when that happened and had one hand on the ground too.

As soon as Pan touched the ground, Shai reacted, grabbing her in a bear-hug and started to tighten that grip. Shai couldn't even see, so Pan had underestimated him and now she realised that. She couldn't move for a bit, but powered out her Ki, surrounding herself in a white aura and pushing Shai away. Noca took a step out of the area when he saw the power-up. It was only for a second as the aura dissipated, but he noticed it, and recognised it. Holline wasn't sure what Noca had noticed, but she sensed a significant rise in his emotions. Noca was excited.

Pan was angry, but with herself. That was twice in the fight she had let herself get sloppy and that frustrated her. She wouldn't let it happen again. Shai shook his head and looked up to see Pan standing there with clenched fists by her sides. No stance. Shai smirked and stood up. He clenched his own fists, his muscles bulging and then he charged again. His pace seemed to have increased and Pan noticed this. Pan waited for the last second and leaned to the right, bending that leg almost all of the way and then sprung back at Shai, smashing her fist into his face and knocking him off his feet.

Shai hit the ground and slid away, but quickly got up and jumped for Pan. His jump seemed to make him quicker and he must have leapt about Fifteen feet off of the ground. He dropped to Pan, but she flipped back out of the way. Shai's landing shook the stage and Pan's footing was weakened. She almost slipped and that gave Shai a slight advantage as he charged towards the girl. She reacted in the absolute last instant to slide underneath him, but the slide was so sloppy that she didn't get back up right away. Shai had turned and managed to smash a fist right into Pan's face and she was propelled to the other side of the stage, managing to stop herself from falling off, but using her energy to hover there. She barely touched the stage again before charging back at Shai.

Pan rushed in from Shai's left, smashing a right hook against his face and dropping to his right side, then she jumped up, punching him in the right side with her left, and once in the air above him she twisted back, kicking him in the back of the head. Shai dropped down to his knees and Pan dropped in front of him, swinging around and kicking him in the head again. Shai was knocked to the side, crashing into the ground. Pan set down again and moved into her stance, waiting for his next move. He slowly pushed up and turned to face her. He was resilient, but he was significantly struggling to actually land any attacks on her, aside for the couple he already had.

Pan's pace and movement was proving to be much too tricky for him to handle. She was just frustrated that it appeared Shai wasn't going to stay down anytime soon. She really had to hit him hard to make that happen, unless she went for a ring-out. Shai cracked his back and leapt towards Pan again. She dodged back, but his movement was quicker this time. He moved forward to grab her again and got her leg, but as he brought her over to slam her down again, she shot a blast towards his face. It hit him and he let go, but immediately jumped up towards her. She hadn't expected that but was able to dodge out of the way. Lucky for her, he couldn't fly and missed, so he would fall back to the ground.

He did, but immediately jumped up again, but was quicker. Pan didn't move in time and was grabbed. He went back towards the ground with her in his grip and slammed her down. He was on top and brought his fist down again. Pan burst out of his grip and charged him up towards the sky, punching up on the way. She got around and above him and blasted him in the back. That sent Shai barrelling towards the ground at a high pace. He crashed down, cracking the stage and Pan followed up. She landed a kick in his gut, but he closed around her, grabbing her leg and swinging her around in a circle. He launched her towards the edge of the stage.

Pan landed before the end and pounced towards Shai once again. She kicked him in the face, he bent down to the side and Pan dropped in front of him and moved with an uppercut into his face. She leapt up with an uppercut and when in the air she rolled forward and landed with her foot right in his face. Shai dropped on his hands and knees and Pan dropped back away from him. As he stood up straight and prepared for a run Pan moved in and sent a barrage of punches smashing into his gut. She leapt up to his face again and smashed with a right hook and used her momentum to follow up with a roundhouse kick with her left. Continuing with that momentum she followed up with a right footed kick to the face and continued this spinning double kick action a few times before jumping back and watching a dizzy Shai stumble forward a little.

Shai had one more charge in him. He thundered towards Pan, but as he did Pan flipped back on to her hands and kicked up into Shai's face when he came close enough, but she hit with both feet. That stopped him in his tracks, giving Pan one last perfect opening. She flipped back to her feet and reeled back a quick Kamehameha and shot him back across the stage. He landed hard on his back and slid to the edge of stage. Pan was breathing heavily, but not really from exhaustion, from letting her adrenaline go through her. She was excited, but she returned to focus once Shai started moving. He really was a sponge. He slowly returned to his feet, but Pan couldn't be bothered any longer. She charged forward and leapt into the air again dropping down towards him with her spinning kick, smashing him in the face and knocking him unconscious, and off of the stage. He hit the grass and the crowd erupted into cheers for Pan. She returned to her feet and smiled as she looked around the arena. She really absorbed it all.

Back at the waiting area, Noca was still stood staring in awe at how Pan had a handle that. Holline looked at him and tried to get his attention.

" **Hey, Earth to Noca, the fight's over,"** She said, clicking in front of his eyes. Noca didn't turn to look at her.

" **I know… and she's amazing,"** Noca uttered, quietly. Holline chuckled.

" **You just realising that your girlfriend knows how to fight,"** She laughed, but it stopped when she started sensing his emotions again, it was almost as if he was really worked up and excited. It was strange, but it seemed like the more Pan got into the fight the more Noca's energy kicked into gear, like he was fighting too. Holline passed it off.

" **I knew she was a great fighter, but she's improved an incredible amount, and the way she moved,"** Noca was starting to babble a little bit, but he stopped when Pan stepped down off the stage and walked over to the waiting area. She was waving to the crowd as she rushed along. She basically ran into Noca's arms when she got in there and the two of them locked in an intense kiss. Holline was taken aback by that. It seemed like both of them felt each other's adrenaline. Noca broke the kiss and looked down at her.

" **That was incredible,"** Pan said, laughing. Noca smiled down at her.

" **It really was,"** He just muttered as they kissed again. But their kissing would be interrupted.

" **Uh, lovers,"** It was Goten. They both stopped and turned to see him standing there next to a bewildered Holline. **"Maybe not here, yeah?"**

They both looked around, no one was really paying attention, but they knew it wasn't an appropriate place. The two of them looked at each other and blushed, but also laughed. They held hands as they returned to sitting down. Both of them watched as Shai pushed the medics away from him and walked towards the door in a huff. He passed a glance to Noca and Pan, but even though he had a naturally angry face, both the young couple noticed that he feared them.

They were drawn away from Shai when Goten and Trunks started teasing them, along with Holline.

Before Shai could step out of the door, Sofia stepped up to him and held up a card.

" **You could do with one of these,"** She said, looking him dead in the eyes. Shai was ready to carry on, ignoring her, but she stepped completely in front of him and Shai didn't feel like losing to another girl. He grunted and took the card. Sofia stepped aside and he left.

Sofia watched him leave, but then Joji walked up behind her.

" **You and Yaiko are next,"** He said as they both looked over to Yaiko. He was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets and his headphones on. He was either getting in the zone, or just didn't want to be there. Sofia scoffed and looked up at Joji.

" **Let's see if I can finally get him to use that power,"** She said, subtly. Joji scoffed as they walked back to their young ally.

* * *

 _Hey, new chapter, hope you enjoy it as the tournament really starts to get going._

 _I haven't had any reviews, questions, pms, or comments for a very long time from any of you out there that are still reading. I do like to read what people have to say and answer almost any questions you may have, so don't be afraid to say anything._

 _Thanks again._

 _Next Time... Chapter 42: The Silent Boy_


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